


Modern Mary

by StormyWords



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Post Season 5, Romance, Suspense, Virginity, present day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-08-28
Updated: 2010-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-11 07:15:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/109841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormyWords/pseuds/StormyWords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Now in the sixth month, the archangel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin." Luke 26-7.<br/>Adrenaline junkie, nerd, and unabashed 22 year old virgin, Katherine Chase needs protection. Katie is forced to choose between Free Will, Good, and Evil to conceive a child that will change the fate of the world. With both angels and demons fighting for her to surrender her Choice to them, Dean and Castiel are there to run with her across the country fighting demons and angels and someone called "Sam-onica."</p><p>Rated for Language and some Content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. There's Something About Mary

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Supernatural. I don't even own the DVDs (yay for libraries!). I'm a poor college kid with no life and too much time. Please, don't sue me. :)

He was drunk. Drunk enough to believe the liquid was blue rather than brown from the neon light advertising vacancy just outside his motel window, but not drunk enough. Not drunk enough to forget all the bullshit of his life thus far; to forget Lisa, Ben, and the failure of his transition into a "normal" life, to cease sleeping with a gun under his pillow, to go to PTA meetings, to stop waking in the middle of the night wracked with hollow and dry sobs. Not drunk enough to erase the image of his brother's face as he fell into the pit. Not drunk enough to forget losing everything he ever held dear in his whole fucking life. And certainly not drunk enough to ignore the arrival of a high-horsed, trench coat wearing, pity faced angel.

Dean Winchester turned his head to avoid looking at Castiel. He downed the rest of his glass, the liquid not nearly searing his throat enough. They were silent for minutes before Castiel laid a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Cas," Dean said, his voice hoarse from being unused. He cleared his throat. "This is one hell you can't drag me out of."

Castiel removed his hand and moved Dean's weapon bag from the other kitchenette chair and sat down. "I know. I'm not here to save you." His low voice registered in Dean's brain as grating and irritating.

"Then why the hell are you here?" Dean asked gruffly, turning to scowl at Castiel.

Castiel looked away, a determined expression on his features. "I… may have some bad news."

Dean scoffed, thought about it, and then full out laughed. The sound was sardonic and harsh and rang in Castiel's ears with the buzzing of the blue neon sign. "What could you possibly tell me right now that I would consider bad news?"

"Gabriel may have found Mary before Lucifer killed him," Castiel said.

"My mom?" Dean asked, seemingly to instantly sober.

"No. The virgin," Castiel replied, looking Dean in the eyes. His expression was serious and unfaltering.

"Wait, like the chick that gave birth to Jesus?" Dean asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes."

"The same one is alive again now?"

"No, her name is Katherine Chase. She's the modern Mary," Castiel said.

_Now in the sixth month, the archangel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,to a virgin._ Luke 26-7

Katherine Chase had no memory of being visited by Gabriel. Lucifer had made sure to destroy that memory. She had no memory and no knowledge of her own importance. Not that it would have stopped her from bungee jumping off a bridge, anyways. She enjoyed adrenaline and insisted it was better than sex even though she couldn't compare. The anticipation, the rush, and the gratification when it was over were as close as she'd ever gotten. And it didn't bother her. Life was life no matter how she lived it and who she screwed.

As the attendant was unhooking her harness, she heard the sound of wings cutting through the air. She turned around, expecting to see a large bird, but saw nothing but the group of people waiting their turn. Katie dismissed it as her ears acting up after the fall. She was grinning from ear to ear as she met eyes with her best friend, Joe.

"Oh my God, that was so fun!" she said, grasping his hand as they walked to the locker room to change out of their wind breaker outfits.

"That was seriously the coolest thing we've ever done!" Joe exclaimed as they practically skipped away from the bridge, the sound of the coursing water distant now.

The adrenaline high was still pounding through their veins as they neared the locker room. Every particle of Katie's body was humming and it was worth the world to share the experience with Joe.

"Nothing can top that! I'm still shaking," Katie said as they spun the combinations on their lockers.

Joe was quiet suddenly. He opened his locker and paused as Katie unzipped her windbreaker, revealing the white tank top and jean shorts she had on under it. She stepped out of the noisy material before she realized that Joe had hardly moved.

"What's wrong?" She asked, resting a hand on his forearm. "Are you feeling sick? Sit down."

He started to sit but straightened up and looked at Katie. "I'm not sick. I feel fine. In fact I feel absolutely fantastic and I don't want this to go away. This right here, Katie, is what I want to feel for the rest of my life. I- I think, I think I'm in love with you."

Katie's jaw dropped. "Wh- what?" She'd never heard those words before and she sure as hell wasn't expecting them now.

Joe smoothed a hand down one of Katie's messy, pig tail plaits. She reached into her locker and grabbed her black framed glasses and put them on. Now she clearly saw his expression; one of love and expectations.

"I love you, Katie," Joe repeated, tilting his head down to hers.

She hesitated before thinking _Why the hell not?_ and kissed him.

There was a shuffling behind them and they broke their kiss to look. Katie turned around to see a man in a long trench coat. She blushed at being caught kissing Joe by a stranger.

"Can we help you?" Joe asked the man.

"Yes, actually you can," the man said before pulling out an ornate knife.

Katie screamed and backed up against Joe, pushing him back and away from the man with the knife. Then Joe held his ground and pushed Katie against the lockers. Her chin smacked the metal and she saw stars as she fell to the ground. She crawled behind a trash can in a panic. Joe and the man were circling each other and Joe's eyes were as black as coal. Something strange was happening here.

"Did you think that I wouldn't find out?" the man asked Joe. His voice was deep and menacing.

Joe laughed, his black eyes dancing. "I figured the time would come but I didn't think you'd come alone, Castiel."

Fear flashed across the man's, Castiel's, face as three people, Joe's parents and older brother, entered the locker room. Katie hadn't seen them at the bridge and didn't know they were there. Their eyes were also completely black. Katie knew bad news when she saw it and started to crawl around to the other row of lockers. The dirty tile was cold on her bare knees and hands and had the faint scent of urine. She quietly moved her way across the floor, as the sound of fighting echoed throughout the locker room, covering the sound of her ragged breathing. Then there were hands on her shoulders, pulling her small frame back on to her feet. She screamed and the man ran around the other end of the lockers, the sounds of fighting had been silenced. Confusion ran through her mind, if the man with the knife wasn't holding her, then who was? She looked up and saw Joe, his eyes still black, he had a knife of his own and Katie wondered where he'd gotten it as he pressed it against her throat. He surely didn't have it before. His family must have had it when they came.

"What's going on?" she demanded, tears streaming down her face. She looked at Castiel, worry and hesitation colored his face.

"This person is not your friend, he's a demon," Castiel responded.

"What?" Katie screeched and tried to wiggle her way out of Joe's grasp.

"I'm a demon, Katie," Joe said in a very annoyed voice.

Desperate now to get free, she remembered the stupid Self Defense class she took the summer before through her college. The knife across her throat was held in his right hand and his left was holding on to her shoulder. She grabbed his forearm with both hands, squeezing the part of his arm that caused his hand to loosen involuntarily at the same time as she stomped down onto the top of his foot with her left.

He was strong and the move didn't do as much as she'd hoped, but it did enough to surprise him. She was able to duck her way out of his grasp with a minor cut to her throat. Castiel grabbed her and pulled her away from Joe, flinging her behind him as he fought Joe. She turned and ran out the locker room door, the door hitting something solid that made an "oof!" noise. But she didn't stop to see who she had hit; she ran to her car and tried to open the door. It was locked and her keys, money, phone, and ID were all in the locker room.

"Dammit!" She said, tears still rushing down her cheeks. She turned around in circles, ignoring the people around her who looked at her warily. Then she heard running footsteps and took off. Whether Castiel or Joe won, she didn't care. All she knew is that they were both violent and terrifying and she wanted to go home.

Katie took off running again towards the main road, hoping that she could find someone who'd give her a ride home and away from this place. Before she could get to the road, Castiel appeared in front of her and grabbed her. She screamed and tried to get free but he touched her head and they were somewhere else.

She was stunned and felt a little bit sick. "Did we just fucking Apparate?"

"Maybe. I don't know what that means," Castiel said.

"Who are you?" Katie asked as she looked around and stepped away from him. They seemed to be in a motel, judging by the two beds with ugly quilts and the generic, peeling wallpaper. Castiel was closing the curtains when she looked back towards him.

"I am Castiel," he replied.

"Are you going to hurt me?" She asked uncertainly, hugging her arms around her.

He stopped shutting the curtains to look at her. "No. I would never hurt you," he said in a strong, serious voice. He held her eyes until she looked away.

"Okay. And, um, I have to ask, forgive me if it's rude, but: _what_ are you?" She asked. She was always an open minded person. She believed in many things that most people wrote off as imaginary. Belief in magical things made life less mundane.

His face relaxed some and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "I am an angel."

Katie laughed even though her heart still raced in panic.

"No, I'm serious," he insisted.

"Alright, I believe you. You kinda used angel magic already. But why the hell- I mean, heck, sorry- would you be here with me?" Katie asked, her heart rate slowing just slightly.

Castiel was silent for a moment. "That man was not the person you thought he was. He was a demon. And part of my duty is to eradicate the demons from Earth," he responded.

"Demon? What do you mean by demon?" Katie asked.

"An evil spirit from Hell possessed your friend," Castiel explained.

"Why?" Katie asked as the door opened.

A man entered the room and looked from Katie to Castiel. She stiffened, ready to run. "Is this her?" he asked.

"I would hope so, or I just kidnapped someone else," Castiel said, looking back to Katie.

"Are you Katherine Chase?" the man asked.

"Shouldn't you have checked that first?" Katie asked.

"Yes," the man said and looked pointedly at Castiel.

"Yeah, I'm Katie," she said. "Why?"

"We knew your friend was a demon," Castiel said before the other man could say anything.

"Who are you?" she asked the newcomer.

"Dean Winchester," he said and held out his hand. His eyes were lit with charm and she blushed as she shook his hand.

"Are you an angel, too?" she asked Dean.

"Not a chance," Dean replied with a chuckle.

"Well, thanks for saving me, Dean and Castiel. I'd like to go home now," Katie said and walked to the door. Dean leaned one hand on the door above her head as she turned the knob. "You can't keep me here," she said as panic rose again.

"We have to. Demons will be after you," Castiel said.

"Why? What's so great about me?" Katie demanded.

"You know about them," Castiel said and shot an unreadable glance to Dean.

"Someone's going to report me as missing. My roommate will. My parents will. I have school tomorrow," Katie listed.

"I'm sorry, Katie," Castiel said, looking down. "But it's for your own good."

Katie shook her head as she fought down tears. "No, I want to go home."

"That's not your home anymore," Castiel said.

"And this is? Where are we?" she said, stomping to a window.

"At a motel. About an hour from your home in Nazareth, Pennsylvania," Castiel said.

Katie rested her forehead against the window. "This is insane," she mumbled.

"Tell me about it," Dean said, looking pointedly at Castiel. He lowered his voice "Cas, I've committed a lot of crimes in my day, and there's a lot of things I'm willing to do, but kidnapping is not one of them."

"This is not kidnapping. This is protecting an innocent girl who has a pivotal role in the fate of this universe," Castiel responded. "And she can not know the role she plays until it's necessary. She engages in life risking behavior for fun. She can not continue in those ways."

"She's a virgin adrenaline junkie?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Castiel said.

"Right, this'll be fun," he said with a sigh.

"Katie, I have to burn some Enochian Sigils into your rib cage," Castiel said, approaching her. She backed up.

"You have to what?" She asked, crossing her arms over her ribs.

"I have to burn Enochian Sigils into your ribs to be sure no other angels can find you," Castiel repeated.

"You're kidding right?" Katie said, backing up further.

"Cas, you can't kidnap and then brand her," Dean said. "Is there any other way to hide her from the angels?"

"No, this is the only way," Castiel said.

"Since when are angels bad?" Katie asked.

"Since God left," Castiel said. "And they're not bad. They just have a different agenda than us."

"Okay, this is getting way too weird," Katie said distastefully.

"You have no idea," Dean said.

"Why do I have to hide from the angels?" Katie asked.

"Because you know about them and demons. It's so you can keep your free will," Dean replied. "I had to get the sigils burned into me, too. It hurts like hell for about a second and then you don't feel a thing."

"Only for a second?" Katie hesitated.

"Only for a second," Dean confirmed.

"Alright then," Katie said, still unsure. "As long as it'll keep me safe, I guess."

She uncrossed her arms and allowed Castiel to place his hand on her chest. There was a second of blinding pain and she cried out, and then it was over. Dean handed her a necklace that had a pentagram hanging from it.

"This will hide you from demons," he said as she put it on.

"You weren't kidding when you said it would hurt like hell," she said.

Katie sat heavily on the edge of one of the beds with a sharp sigh.

"Now what, Cas?" Dean asked.

"We run."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it needs to be said that I've never written nor even read SPN fanfic before. So I could be dancing in tropes right now and not even know it. Apologies if I am!
> 
> Katie Chase is simply a character that has been forming in my mind for awhile and to fully imagine her I've placed her in fanfic, so that some day I'll use her in original fiction. Picture her kinda like Emma Stone's character in "House Bunny." Super nerdy but still has qualities that the average person can relate to and is in desperate need of a make over (but Katie doesn't get one, don't worry. She'll remain a geek). And I chose SPN as the universe to place her in because I literally JUST finished season 5 like yesterday. I was sooo happy to see that Cas wasn't ded forevers that I had to gloat via present day fic featuring him. IDK. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading, darlin'! Updates should be fairly regular depending on school work. (Any one else English Majors and Education/Psychology Minors? Represennnttt! :D )


	2. Kidnapped by My Chemical Romance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't own any of this. I'll keep you posted, though.

Katie was asleep across the backseat, almost completely stretched out. Her head rested against the seat and a book across her chest. A Supernatural book, actually, given to her by Castiel and Dean to "catch up." Dean had the music turned down and was enjoying the silence. Katie was always asking questions and wanting to talk about demons during the day. She had even annoyed Castiel enough to make him give her the books by Chuck and to leave for a few days. But he came back with news.

"Holy shit, Cas," Dean whispered furiously after Castiel appeared.

"I am sorry to startle you, but I have news for you. Katie will remain asleep," Castiel said, glancing in the backseat.

Dean glanced in the rearview mirror to see Katie's glasses askew on her sleeping face. "What is it?"

"The Bible lied about Mary being a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus," Castiel said.

"So Katie isn't…" Dean started.

"No, Katie is the Modern Mary." Castiel shook his head. "Mary was a virgin when Gabriel came to her and told her of her destiny. Mary was given a choice to either give birth to the son of the light or dark. God or Lucifer."

"And she chose God," Dean stated.

"She did. God would choose the angel or pious man to father her child, Lucifer would choose the demon or sinner, or Mary would choose whomever and which ever side. She allowed God to choose for her because her husband, Joseph, was a sinner. God chose an angel to father her child," Castiel explained.

"So Katie has to choose to give up her free will to either God or Lucifer, or choose the side and guy she wants?" Dean asked.

"Correct. Her friend, Joseph, was a demon, so he is not a candidate for Good. Also, he is dead," Castiel said.

"Okay, so we just have to get her to choose Good," Dean said.

"We can't 'get' her to choose a side, Dean, that would not be her free will. But we can surely guide her," Castiel said.

"Why was this kept out of the Bible, anyways?" Dean asked. "It seems to me like a Good beats Evil story."

"To keep holy and righteous values instilled in the human race," Castiel said. "Mary was portrayed as virgin throughout the birth of Jesus to disguise the fact that Joseph was not the father. The men who wrote the Bible did not want a story of infidelity committed by a woman gracing the pages."

"It figures," Dean said.

Dean and Castiel shared a thoughtful glance. "So there's no chance that I could seduce her and get her to have a baby for the Good guys, is there?" Dean asked.

Castiel almost laughed. "No, Dean, there isn't a chance in Hell that baby would be the Modern Jesus."

"What about-?" Dean started to ask but Katie stirred in the back seat. He narrowed his eyes at Cas. "I wasn't done talking to you."

"I know," Castiel said and looked out the window.

"Um, can we stop for like a minute?" Katie asked meekly from the back seat.

"You can _not possibly_ have to piss again!" Dean yelled.

"Excuse me, but if I'm such a fucking burden on you, why don't you just let me go home?" Katie yelled back. Then she said "Hi, Cas," much nicer. He never yelled at her or said anything mean.

"Hello, Katie."

Dean growled deep in his throat. "Fine, but you're going on the side of the road!" He pulled off the highway and parked. Katie hopped out of the car and ran out to the woods that stretched along the highway.

"When should we tell her?" Dean asked Castiel.

"When there's no other choice," Castiel replied.

"She's not going to let us keep her away from her family and home much longer without reason and especially without getting her a change of clothes. She's wearing my clothes, Cas," Dean said the last part agitatedly.

"I will get her clothing," Castiel said before disappearing.

Katie came back to the car and sat in the passenger seat and Dean put the car into drive. "Where'd Cas go?" she asked.

"To get you some clothes," Dean replied.

"Oh, good! Your clothes smell like boy," she said as she buckled her seat belt over the baggy, grey t-shirt that made her look even smaller.

Katie continued to read and occasionally make comments and ask Dean about the books and the stories she was reading. A few hours later Castiel met them at a diner while they were eating lunch. He sat at their table next to Katie who offered him French fries. He turned them down, giving them a look of disgust. "Your belongings are in the car. I stopped at your home and gathered clothing and received all of the belongings you had at the bridge where we met."

"Thanks, Cas!" Katie grinned.

The waitress came to the table and asked Castiel if he wanted to order, he declined. But Dean asked if they had a copy of the day's newspaper. When the newspaper is set in front of Dean, Katie reads the headline upside down from across the table.

"'Two Girls Dead in Mysterious Sorority Hazing Accident,'" Katie read. "No way! Can I see that?"

Dean made a face and shoved the paper to her then looked at Castiel as if to say "get her the _fuck_ out of my life."

Katie read the articled quickly. "These girls were in a graveyard as a hazing ritual for a local college sorority and were seemingly crushed by something. But they can't figure out what crushed them. Seriously? This sounds supernatural enough for us to handle!"

"Us?" Castiel and Dean asked in unison.

"Or," she said, stretching the 'r,' "You two can figure it out and I can be the getaway driver."

"You're not touching my car," Dean said, pointing at her with a French fry.

"Whatever, I'll be the lookout," Katie said with an eye roll.

"It may be worth our time," Castiel said to Dean.

"I'm not a hunter anymore," Dean said, looking at Castiel. They held each other's gaze for moments as they silently communicated.

"Dean, it has been four months. I understand you are grieving, but now it is time to get back to hunting. You are meant to hunt," Castiel said.

Dean shook his head and looked down at his plate.

"You're going to get rusty," Katie added.

Dean seemed to explode. "Argh! Fine! I'll do the job if it gets me away from you! With your world's tiniest bladder and your constant need to talk and talk and talk! God, you've been driving me absolutely insane!"

"Dean, never get a girlfriend," Katie said loudly and slowly, leaning across the table to get in his face. Dean's hands balled into fists and Castiel pulled Katie back into her seat by the back of her shirt. "Jerk," Katie said to Dean.

"Bit-" Dean started to say, but stopped. He was instantly depressed again.

"Everybody is staring," Castiel observed casually.

"Let them stare, I don't care!" Dean exclaimed angrily.

"Oh my god, if I wanted to be around all this emo-dark-past shit, I would have gotten myself kidnapped by My Chemical Romance," Katie groaned.

Dean kicked her shins under the table. She cried out "Ow!" and kicked him back.

"Dean, Katie, if we're going to solve this case, we need to get moving now," Castiel said, clearly annoyed by their behavior.

They left the diner without anymore fighting and headed to the police department to get information. Dean and Castiel used fake ID's as FBI agents while Katie was forced to wait in the car. The police had the basic information of the girls' names, autopsy reports, and dates of their sorority hazing activities. Nothing gave them a lead and the tapes of the other sorority girls' questionings were no help. Each girl had the same story, legitimate alibies, and great remorse for the accident.

Katie was allowed to go with Dean and Castiel as they talked to the boss of one of the girls at another local diner, where they were given free pie, and the boss of the second girl at a bar, where they were given free booze. The evening was unsuccessful thus far concerning the case, as the girls' bosses hardly knew anything about them.

"Now, I remember why I love hunting so much," Dean chuckled after a few free beers with his tummy filled with pie.

"This happens everywhere you go?" Katie asked, sipping her own beer. Two college age girls walked by and smiled seductively at Dean and Castiel. Katie and Dean followed them with their eyes, Castiel seemingly didn't notice.

"Pretty much," Dean said appreciatively.

"There's no time for this," Castiel said agitatedly. "We need to solve this case and move on."

"Okay, then let's go. Let's go to the graveyard where the girls died," Katie said, standing up from her barstool.

"Might as well," Dean said.

"I'm coming with you or I tell the next person we see that you kidnapped me," Katie said as they parked at the graveyard.

Dean turned a smoldering look on her before Castiel reluctantly agreed with her.

"Please, do not become injured," Castiel urged her. "And stay back. It would be very dangerous if any demons saw and recognized you."

"Will do," Katie said but she wasn't really listening. Adrenaline was already pumping through her veins at the thought of seeing another demon.

"This doesn't seem like demon activity, Cas. This is something different," Dean said as they loaded up on weapons. "What do you think we're up against?"

"A spirit haunting a stone statue," Castiel replied.

"How do you know?" Dean asked.

"The young women were dared to be out here all night by their so-called sisters because of a legend that the statue of a woman comes to life and crushes them," Castiel said.

"And how do you know that?" Dean asked, as he returned a knife for salt.

"My source is irrelevant," Castiel said. "It's the truth."

Dean closed the trunk and handed Katie a bag of salt. "If anything gets too weird, or any demons show up, put this in a circle around you."

Castiel, Dean, and Katie headed towards the taped off crime scene. "It will come at midnight, if the legend is correct," Castiel said as they reached the statue, which was within the closed off area. Dean was sitting next to the statue, Katie across from him against another gravestone, and Castiel standing just outside the crime scene, when midnight sounded from the large clock tower at the center of the graveyard.

"It's go time," Katie said, looking around for any signs of activity. Her heart was beating fast as the last bell chimed. She was looking in Castiel's directions when she heard a stone grinding sound and then Dean swearing.

"Oh, fuck!" he cried out as the statue he was next to reached down and grabbed him. Katie and Castiel rushed forwards with salt. Throwing salt and making a circle around it didn't do anything and the statue was gripping Dean around the ribs tighter and tighter. He struggled to get loose but to no avail. Dean was able to groan out a part of an incantation before he couldn't breathe anymore.

Katie took the rock salt shot gun that Dean had brought and shot at the statue. Even with more force, the salt had no effect. They seemed to be out of options.

The statue's eyes glowed red and the stone ground as it moved. "Cas, what do we do?" Katie asked, panicked.

Castiel only glanced at her before he said the incantation that Dean couldn't finish. There was a horrible howling sound and swirling dust as the spirit in the statue was exorcised. Dean crumpled to the ground and tried to wrap his arms around his ribs but could lift his arms after the statue returned to its carved position. He groaned.

"Is it gone? We need to get you to a hospital," Katie said, looking back at the car.

"Yes, it's gone. I exorcised it," Castiel said before kneeling next to Dean and placing his hand on Dean's ribs and healing him.

Dean sat up and tested his mobility. "Thanks, Cas."

"Are you alright?" Katie asked as Dean stood up. She tenderly felt at his ribs to see if they were broken.

"Yeah, Cas used his angel mojo to fix me up," Dean reassured her as they made sure they picked up all of their weapons before leaving. He patted her head "Nice shot back there. If it hadn't been a statue, you would have killed it for sure."

"I've had lots of practice at arcades," Katie said nonchalantly.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Katie asked as they got back into the Impala.

"I don't understand your question," Castiel said, his head slightly cocked to the side. Dean looked blankly at her.

"How long have you two been dating?" Katie rephrased.

"What?" Dean exclaimed looking at her like she was insane.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I figured you two were together because of the way you're always looking at each other and communicating almost completely nonverbally. And that angel mojo healing back there! After we met you didn't heal the cut on my throat from Joe," Katie explained, exposing her still visible cut.

"We're so not dating," Dean said forcefully.

"I thought you were just hiding it from me." Katie shrugged.

They stopped at a motel for the night and Dean and Katie played Rock-Paper-Scissors for the first shower. Katie lost and while Dean was in the bathroom, she asked Castiel if she could call her family. "I'm sure they're looking for me," she said.

"They were," he replied.

"What?" she asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Did you talk to them?"

"No, I left them a letter saying that you needed time to sort through your life and make new decisions on your own. I made sure it said that you were happy and that you'd see them later. I signed your name," Castiel said.

"You WHAT?" Katie screamed, standing up and pacing. "Castiel, I _can't_ believe you did that! You can't just do that to someone's life! You can't waltz in and screw everything up and think that it's okay!"

"I did it to keep them safe. If they do not know what you know or where you are at or who you are with, the safer they will remain," Castiel yelled back, getting angry with Katie for the first time. It took her aback and she stepped away from him. His deep voice when angry was terrifying to her.

"You should have told me!" she said and stopped pacing.

"I am sorry," Castiel said. "It was for the best." He looked like a guilty puppy, his blue eyes wide and angelic.

Katie was silent for a few moments before asking softly with her arms crossed over her chest "Are you sure they'll be safe?"

"They're as safe as I can make them," he replied, his voice as calm and powerful as an ocean iceberg.

"Well, thanks," Katie said and sat on the edge of the bed again. Her shoulders slouched inwards and her head hung.

"You are welcome," Castiel said, placing a hand on her sagging shoulders.

"I want to go home," she said quietly, sounding like a child. Her lower lip jutted out as she fought back tears. She took off her glasses and fiercely rubbed at her eyes.

"You can not go home," Castiel said just as quietly.

"Will I ever get to go home?" she asked and sniffed.

"There is a possibility you may one day," he replied. "But not now. You are needed."

Castiel disappeared before Katie could ask how she, of all people, was needed.


	3. Little Girl Carries the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You wouldn't even believe me if I tried to claim that I owned Supernatural.

"Dean, it is imperative that you keep moving," Castiel said over the fuzzy cell phone reception.

"Why, what did you find out?" Dean asked, and checked to see if Katie was coming out of the gas station yet. He had already sent her back in for candy after paying for their gas and peeing. He leaned against the door of the Impala, and tried not to look tense.

"Nothing as of yet. I am getting close. I need to find out what the angels plan on doing to Katie when they find her. I need to know what they will offer her," Castiel replied.

"What are you thinking?" Dean asked, watching Katie pay at the counter. She naturally stood on tip-toes when she was around tall people, and the attendant had to be at least six feet tall while she was five feet. At first Dean had thought it to be strange, now he saw it as quirky and cute. Katie was definitely a character; she was one of few people he knew that could annoy the hell out of him and yet he cared about anyways. He often felt the urge to punch her in the mouth, but also to ruffle her hair.

"I am thinking about how much I dislike cellular phones," Castiel said.

Speaking of those people he sometimes wanted to punch in the mouth….

"No, Cas. I meant-," Dean sighed. "I meant what do you think the angels will do?"

"Oh, well that is more relevant," Castiel said. Dean rolled his eyes. "I think that they will offer her and her family safety and comfort. The demons will most likely offer the same except without the guaranteed place in heaven."

"Do you think she would go for that?" Dean asked. Katie was getting her change and shoving it into her jeans pocket.

"Would you?" Castiel asked Dean.

"Would you?" Dean was just being snarky now.

"My vessel is male and can not become pregnant," Castiel informed Dean.

"You know what? Dude, I'm done talking to you. Katie's coming out anyways. We're going to stop in Charleston, West Virginia for the night before heading out to Bobby's," Dean said as Katie came out of the gas station, the bell above the door ringing.

"I will meet you at Bobby's. Good bye," Castiel said before hanging up.

Dean put his phone in his pocket and got into the Impala as Katie got in the passenger seat. "What did you get?"

"Sour Patch Kids, Red Vines, and two Heath bars. They were on sale," she said, handing him one. "I saw you on the phone. Was it Cas?"

"Yeah," Dean said as he drove out of the gas station, pulling down the visor to block out the setting sun.

"Well, what did he want?" Katie asked through a mouthful of Heath bar.

"He said we needed to keep moving," Dean said with some hesitation.

Katie shrugged indifferently. "I figured we would anyways."

"But we are going to stop at Bobby's place in South Dakota," Dean added.

"I've wanted to meet Bobby since I first read about him!" Katie exclaimed. "He's so cool."

Dean still couldn't get used to his life being in books, let alone having someone learn about his life through the books and act like she just stepped through the doors of Hogwarts.

"So, I've been wondering," Katie began after ripping open the bag of Sour Patch Kids and offering some to Dean. He took a handful and dreaded her question. "Why isn't Cas on Team Angels when they just gave him back his mojo?"

"I really don't know but I'm under the impression that his mojo can still be taken away at any time. In fact, it'll probably happen sooner or later. He's most likely not free and clear to do whatever he wants. But maybe God has more trust in him now. I don't know. But he has a thing for loosing his mojo but not his virginity," Dean chuckled.

"Wait, Cas is a virgin?" Katie asked, looking at Dean with a shocked expression.

"Yeah, if the Bible says no premarital sex, do you think the angels get exceptions?" Dean asked her with a laugh.

"I just never thought about it, I guess," Katie said. "That's cool because I'm a virgin, too."

Dean started to say "Yeah, I know" but realized that that topic had never come up naturally by Katie and she didn't know all that he knew about her. So instead he made a strange scoffing sound and added a "Really?" at the end for believability.

"Yup," she said. "I know, not hard to believe a girl in her twenties who regularly quotes Battlestar Gallactica, owns a sonic screwdriver toy, and looks like a twelve year old is still a virgin."

"You never know," Dean said awkwardly. Suddenly he was glad he didn't have a sister. And just as suddenly he realized that this was just like having a sister.

Later, they stopped just outside Charleston to rest. They dropped their things off at a dodgy motel and headed across the street to an even dodgier bar. They ordered gross bar food and beer and played bad, generic rock music on the dirty juke box. Katie was dancing in her seat and animatedly lip-synching for a slightly disturbed Dean when a clean-cut, brunette woman approached them.

Dean and Katie looked at the woman whose eyes suddenly flashed black. They jumped up and out of their seats; both reached into their pockets for weapons, and took defensive stances. Katie was given Ruby's knife to carry, just in case, and Dean had the Colt in his waistband. "She will be ours. She will be defiled. She will choose a demon and give birth to a demon god. You can't run forever," the demon woman said with a devious smile.

"Outside," Dean demanded the demon in a violent voice. Katie followed even though he specifically told her to wait in the bar. Once outside the bar, Dean pinned the demon against the building. "What did you say in there?" he practically growled.

"I said that she will give birth to a demon god. She will be ours!" the demon cackled, looking straight at Katie. "You can't run, Mary."

"What is she saying, Dean? What does that mean?" Katie asked from behind him, a tense "you better fucking answer me right the hell now" tone to her voice.

"Katie, I said to stay in the bar!" Dean scolded, turning his head to look at her.

The demon used this opportunity to punch Dean in the stomach, doubling him over. Then the demon approached Katie, who was already holding Ruby's knife. She raised the knife and slashed at the demons throat, the easiest target. Light sparked through the demon as it was killed. Katie watched as the demon fell to the pavement. Katie couldn't move. She had just killed a person as well as the demon and blood was soaking her pink Converse shoes.

_Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. This isn't happening. This can't be happening. It's all a lie. Breathe._

She slowly lifted her glasses covered eyes to Dean who was watching her warily, already pulling his phone out of his pocket. They kept eye contact as he speed dialed Castiel. She dropped the bloody knife. It clanked against the gravel.

Katie's expression was horrifying to Dean. To see the spark of innocence, happiness, and _normal-ness_ of Katie to go out like someone flipping a switch was disturbing. That goodness was replaced with horror, disgust, confusion, and anger. Dean didn't like it one bit.

"Dean," Castiel's voice answered over the phone.

"Charleston, West Virginia. Scooter's Bar. Now," Dean said his voice hoarse. He hung up just as Castiel appeared.

Castiel's eyes followed Dean's to Katie. Understanding flooded him. He started to walk towards Katie just as she broke eye contact with Dean. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she passed out. Dean rushed over to pick her up and Castiel grabbed Ruby's knife. They hurried to the motel; Castiel stayed with a still unconscious Katie in the Impala as Dean grabbed their belongings from the motel room. They were on the road again in fifteen minutes.

When Katie woke up, they were thirty minutes away from the scene. She woke up with a choked scream and Castiel was in the back seat from the front in a split second. She took a moment to assess her surroundings. "I- I killed that woman!" Katie sobbed.

"You killed a demon," Dean said from the front seat. "You did good."

"No." Katie shook her head, tears flowing fast. "I killed her. That's not good."

"You were protecting yourself," Dean insisted. "She was going to kill you."

"Why? What the hell did I do that makes the demons want me dead? It's not my fault I know they exist!" Katie cried. She bent over and let her forehead rest on her knees as sobs wracked her body.

"I'll do some asking around," Castiel assured her. "I'll find out all that I can."

"This shouldn't be happening to me," Katie said in a defeated tone. "Have I really been that bad of a person that I deserve this?"

Dean looked in the rear view mirror and saw the look of absolute shock and a little bit of horror on Castiel's face. Dean knew that Castiel wanted to scream "No! It is the opposite! You are honored!" but couldn't. He knew the feeling; it was mutual. Instead both angel and hunter remained silent while virgin cried into her knees.

Dean was only able to get about halfway to Bobby's before it was absolutely necessary for him to sleep. Katie had only just fallen asleep when he pulled off the road to a rest stop at two in the morning. He reclined his seat, said goodnight to the immobile and pensive Castiel in the passenger seat. He glanced at Katie's curled up and sleeping form. She was hugging her knees to her chest and her chin was tucked in. Dean was just thinking that she might be cold; it was September after all, when Castiel shrugged off his trench coat and placed it over Katie.

"You think very loudly," Castiel said casually before turning back to stare out the window.

Dean was too tired to even question this as he closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.

Castiel remained awake, of course, and was glad that he had not left. At around four in the morning, the wind picked up and the energy in the air vibrated. Something old and powerful was arriving. Static electricity crackled around them and Castiel made sure Dean and Katie wouldn't wake up before exiting the car. He looked around, waiting for the arrival. The wind blew red and orange leaves in circles around him and lifted his hair and tie. His shoulders were tense with the anticipation of a fight.

A woman approached him. She was tall, and beautiful. Her hair was red curls poured down her back and a crown of wildflowers adorned her head. Her hair swirled in the wind with the leaves. Her eyes were a piercing blue and her skin a perfect creamy white, like marble. She was wearing a long white dress adorned with ivy and bare feet. She smiled serenely at Castiel as she approached. He relaxed as he recognized her.

She reached out and stroked his jawline. "Castiel," she said in a wonderful, soft, though powerful voice.

"Diana," he responded with a nod of respect.

"I hear you have been up to no good," she teased lightly.

"You hear correctly, I suppose," he responded and his eyes held a light smile.

She laughed and the wind settled, leaving Castiel's tie over his shoulder and his hair messy.

"I also hear you have found Mary," Diana said, her tone more serious now.

Castiel lowered his head. He couldn't lie to her. "Yes."

"And you are aware of the girl's choices?" Diana asked him and began to circle Castiel. He nodded slowly, wondering what the goddess's purpose here was. "We want her to choose on her own. Since Mary of legend chose, so shall she."

Castiel looked up at Diana as she circled around him and faced him. His expression was confused but accepting.

Diana smiled. "Yes, we support your decision to hide her away from the angels and demons. You see, Castiel, it is not just the Judeo-Christian population at risk here. If she gives birth to a demon god, Lucifer will walk free within him. He will destroy everything Good in this world. Including you and me."

"Do you have plans for Katie?" Castiel asked. "Will you speak to her? She knows nothing of her destiny."

"No, I will not speak with her. But, Castiel, she needs to know," Diana said, disapprovingly.

"But her behavior, Diana, is reckless and life threatening," Castiel explained.

Diana laughed. "You have no faith in the human race, Castiel. She will adjust her life and actions accordingly. Her soul is good. But," Diana's voice hardened and she began to circle Castiel again, "if she chooses a demon or a sinner as her mate, Castiel, you must kill her before the demon god is carried to term."

Castiel shook his head. The idea of killing Katie was outrageous and he knew he could never do it. "I could not."

Diana chuckled and stroked his face again. "I understand your conflicting feelings. Your heart or your duty? Castiel, if she were to choose Dark, the child would kill her from within her womb. You would give her a merciful death and save the honor of the world. Is that not what you stand for? Mercy and honor?"

"Yes. Dean and I will do our best to guide her to Good. We will do everything it takes to make sure she doesn't choose Dark," Castiel promised.

"Good. I wish you luck," Diana said with a serene smile as the wind picked up again. She backed away from Castiel and just as she was about to disappear, she added "Oh, and Castiel? If you can not kill her if the time comes, we will."

Then she was gone and the wind stopped suddenly. Castiel turned back to the Impala and got back into the passenger seat. He allowed Dean to sleep for a few more hours before Castiel made him wake up. Dean jerked upright in his seat, his eyes wide and blinking. He looked to see Castiel staring at him intently.

"You know you really need to understand that humans need to sleep," Dean scolded Castiel.

"I understand that humans need on average five hours of sleep to fully function. You slept for five hours," Castiel said.

"After being awake for almost twenty four hours? No, it's not enough sleep," Dean said, rubbing his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Diana came to me," Castiel said.

"Who is Diana?" Dean asked as he put his seat back up. It clicked loudly into place and Dean glanced back at the still sleeping Katie.

"The goddess Diana," Castiel explained. He launched into telling Dean what happened and what Diana told him.

When Castiel finished, Dean leaned his head back against his seat and sighed. "So we _really_ need to get her to choose Good without forcing her."

"We have to let her choose on her own no matter what happens," Castiel said. "And she can not know that choosing the Dark would kill her. She has to choose for the world, not herself."

"I think she's going to choose Good," Dean said confidently. "The demons haven't come up with some _prize_ for her yet, and like Diana said, she's good at heart. So unless the angels really piss her off, I don't think we have a problem."

They were silent for a few moments and Castiel allowed Katie to wake up. She sat up and stretched and let out little groans in the back seat. Then she remembered everything from the night before and slumped in her seat.

"Good morning," Castiel said to her, turning in his seat to look at her.

She flipped him off in response and got out of the car. Dean and Castiel watched her go into the rest stop to use the bathroom and probably buy coffee for her and Dean.

"I am unfamiliar with human emotions, attraction, and love, but you are not. Who do you think Katie will choose?" Castiel asked Dean. Castiel kept his eyes on the door Katie had just gone through and didn't look at Dean.

Dean looked at him pensively for a few moments before answering. "I don't know, but whoever she chooses is going to have to be someone who can put up with her constant questions and having to pee every five seconds. Why do you ask, Cas?"

"He must be strong," Castiel said, not answering Dean's question. His eyes narrowed at the door. "He must be willing to fight."


	4. There's Gotta Be Another Virgin In Utah

Bobby's house was just as Katie expected it to be. He was just as she expected to be. They got along great- the four of them. Katie and Bobby cooked dinner while Castiel watched with amusement and curiosity and Dean kept managing to get in the way. They were able to laugh together at the dinner table and then get serious again when they were in Bobby's office, talking demons and angels. Katie was enjoying her self for the first time in a long time there, despite the looming trouble. Katie and Dean had been at Bobby's for almost three days and Castiel had left the first night. But he returned bearing news, as usual.

Katie was in the shower on the third morning, her eyes closed and her head tiled back as she rinsed the shampoo out. It smelled like green apples and she breathed deeply. With her eyes still closed, she reached out to get the conditioner from the ledge but her hand met something solid. Her eyes flew open and she gasped, thinking a demon was in her shower and she was going to die naked and soapy.

It was Castiel, looking like a confused puppy. Katie screamed a high pitched scream regardless of recognizing him. The spray of the shower drenched the front of his clothes and misted his hair, matting it against him. She tried to cover herself with her hands as she reached to grab a towel. "What are you doing?" she screamed at Castiel.

There were shouts and loud pounding on the door as Bobby and Dean reacted to her screams. Her face flushed as she wrapped the threadbare blue towel around her body and turned off the water. "Cas, what do you want?" she demanded angrily.

("Cas?" she heard Dean ask from outside the bathroom door.)

"Yeah, Cas Apparated into my shower and was just standing there watching me," she said through the door, and then looked back at Castiel. "You're a fucking creep, you know that?"

"I don't understand your fear, you saw that it was me," Castiel said, his shoulders raised in a shrug. His eyes were wide and confused.

("The idjit appeared in the shower with her?" Katie heard Bobby ask Dean. "Does he have a death wish?")

"I'm in the shower! Naked! It's a matter of decency!" Katie screeched at Castiel, her face was burning with embarrassment. She clutched the thin towel to her body and backed up against the sink.

She heard footsteps leaving the bathroom door as Bobby and Dean left Castiel to fend for him self.

"Are you self conscious of your figure?" Castiel asked, still not understanding Katie's reaction.

Katie had a small figure but could not be considered skinny. She was thin and healthy, but a layer of fat encompassed her, giving her womanly curves. Her long, dark hair that was usually in pig tail plaits hung loose, tangled together, around her shoulders. Castiel thought she looked more her age with her hair down and her glasses off.

Katie's face turned even redder as she opened the bathroom door, grabbed Castiel by his damp coat and pushed him out of the bathroom. He looked sad as she slammed the door shut. She quickly finished her shower and dressed before meeting the guys in Bobby's office. She figured that Castiel had come with news and she was eager to find out. She left the bathroom dressed in a loose fitting, faded blue t-shirt, boot cut jeans, bright pink socks, and with her wet hair staining her shirt. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she contemplated what the news could possibly be. The three guys turned to look at her as she entered, their conversation ending abruptly. Castiel looked down at his hands; obviously someone had explained to him what was wrong with appearing in her shower.

"So, what's the news?" Katie asked with her hands on her hips.

"We need to go. Now," Dean said, standing up and passing Katie at the door. His voice was tense and very serious. "Pack as fast as you can."

"What's happening?" Katie asked again, watching Dean leave the room.

"We will explain in the car," Castiel said and followed Dean out of the room.

"Bobby?" Katie asked him.

He looked conflicted as he sighed. "Dean and Cas will explain. It's… complicated. But you need to get packing," he said.

Katie rolled her eyes and went to the room where she was staying and angrily packed her belongings. She didn't like the secrecy and the tense moods at all. It was getting old fast. She was finished in only a few minutes and met Dean and Castiel at the Impala. They quickly packed their things into the trunk and back seat before they got in and sped off. Katie waved to Bobby out the window.

Once on the road Katie moved so that she was in the middle of the back seat and could see the profiles of Castiel and Dean. "Tell me what's going on," she demanded.

Dean and Castiel looked at each other, communicating silently, as usual. Then Castiel turned in his seat and reached a hand out towards Katie's head. Two fingers were held out and Katie knew what that meant. He reached towards her head and she backed up as far away from him as she could get, threatening to bite his fingers if he got any closer. But he stretched and was able to touch two fingers to Katie's head. She instantly fell into a deep sleep, almost comatose. They needed to get far away from Bobby's house; he was a known friend of theirs. They needed Katie to be cooperative and quiet.

Castiel allowed Katie to wake up somewhere in Utah. Dean didn't even know where they were, he just drove until he and Castiel felt that they were safe for now. It was hot and dry in the desert and Katie was confused as they got out of the car at the motel in the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we?" Katie asked, stretching.

"Uh, well, somewhere in Utah," Dean said, and shut the door of the Impala. They went in and got a room, the attendant giving them strange glances as he signed them in. They were used to it though. Apparently it was rare that two men and a young woman check into one hotel room with two beds. But seeing as one of them didn't need to sleep, it wasn't strange at all.

Once in the room they set their things down and Katie looked expectantly at the boys. Dean saw her look and ignored her for a minute. She placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat.

"Dean, I think it's time," Castiel said, taking notice of Katie's stance.

Dean nodded slowly and patted the bed next to where he was sitting, telling Katie to sit down. She obliged and looked at him and then Castiel. They both looked uneasy; like they were afraid she would either shatter like glass or punch them out.

"There's a new demon rising in the ranks," Dean began. "Her name is Veronica and she's bigger than anything we've ever fought before."

"Bigger than Azazel and Lilith," Castiel added. "She is Lucifer's lover and holds much power in Hell."

"Her mission is to kill you," Dean said, looking away from Katie.

"Me? Why?" Katie asked, standing up.

"Because you hold a lot of power," Dean replied. His forehead creased with worry and he still wouldn't look at her. Castiel was watching her closely so she went to him.

"Cas, why?" she pleaded.

"Because, if you are dead the battle field is level again. If you are dead, there is not a chance that Good will prevail over Evil. Lucifer knows that you are good at heart and knows that you have been with Dean and I these past weeks," Castiel informed her.

"I still don't understand," Katie said and ran her hands through her tangled hair.

"Lucifer would rather have you dead than have the chance you would choose Good," Dean said.

"Choose? What am I choosing for? I thought we were running from demons that wanted me dead because I simply knew they existed!" Katie exclaimed looking from one nervous boy to the other.

"Katie," Castiel said and waited for her to focus on him, "you are the Modern Mary."

"Modern Mary? That demon at the bar called me Mary. What does that mean?" Katie asked. She was almost hysterical now.

"Are you familiar with the legend of Mary in the Bible?" Castiel asked.

"Yes, she was a virgin who-" Katie stopped and took a sharp intake of breath, her hands clutched nervously at her chest.

"She was the virgin God chose to give birth to the Son of Light," Castiel said.

Katie was speechless as she struggled to breath. She was hyperventilating and doubled over.

"Mary had the choice of Good or Evil or Free Will. But her husband, Joseph, was a sinner, so she granted God the choice of an angel or pious man," Castiel continued. "Now you have that same choice. You may either give birth to the Son of Light or Dark. You may forfeit your choice of mate to which ever side you choose or you may choose the man on your own."

Katie rushed to the bathroom and vomited. She couldn't believe what was happening and fear controlled her. Dean and Castiel waited outside the bathroom for her to come out. Katie brushed her teeth and returned to the guys on shaky knees. She sat on the edge of a bed, away from Dean and Castiel.

"I have to choose to give birth to Jesus or Lucifer?" Katie asked in a whisper. She stared at her jean clad knees.

"Yes," Castiel replied.

"No," Katie said roughly and stood up. "No, I don't want this. I'm not doing it. I refuse."

"You have to, it is your destiny," Castiel said sternly.

"I didn't ask for this, I didn't do anything to deserve this hell," Katie yelled at them.

"Why are you so upset?" Castiel yelled back. "This is a huge honor that you have been chosen for."

"You just don't get it! This isn't your life that you're giving up, this isn't your life that you're tossing coins for. It's not your life that you have no control over!" Katie got in his face and yelled at him. "I'M NOT DOING THIS!"

"YOU MUST!" Castiel yelled back at her.

Katie backed away from both Dean and Castiel, shaking her head. She grabbed her still unpacked bag and ran out the door. She ran down the empty, dusty road with tears blurring her eyes. She ran until she could run no more and found an old bus stop. There were cracks and holes in the yellowed plastic shelter and burn marks on the bench. The bus schedule hadn't been updated in six years and it smelled like death warmed over but Katie didn't care. She sat on the bench and put her head to her knees and sobbed.

She felt pressured and just needed to think. It was a lot of information to take in and she wasn't ready to make the decision yet. Her life was a whirlwind of craziness and she felt like she couldn't find steady ground to stand on. She cried, her tears leaving marks on her knees and soaking through the material.

Castiel and Dean weren't far away from her. With her history of reckless behavior, the demons and angels after her, and her own despair, they felt that she needed to be watched. They stood in silence far enough away from her that she didn't notice they were there.

"Cas, I can't do it," Katie cried quietly to the air.

He was at her side in an instant. "Yes, you can."

She jumped and looked up at him. "Find another reject virgin."

He sat on the bench next to her. "You are not a reject, you are chosen. And there is no other chosen woman."

She was silent for a few moments. "What would happen if I died?" there was a dark edge to her voice that Castiel did not like.

"The Son of Light or Dark will never be born," Castiel replied.

Katie hung her head, trying to hide her new tears.

Castiel rested his hand on her back. "You are a very important human, Katie. Death is not an option. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Dean and I will keep you safe."

Katie turned to him and rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. She cried into his chest, making his shirt wet with her tears. He looked around to see Dean walking back to the motel. Castiel didn't know what to do so he held Katie as she sobbed. He stroked her knotted hair as he once saw a man do to comfort a woman. He relaxed and held her until her crying stopped and the sun was setting.

"Can you help me?" Katie asked, eventually. She tilted her head up to look at him. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and she looked exhausted.

"Yes," he replied. "I have taken it as my mission."

"Good. I'll need some guidance with all this shit," Katie said before snuggling into his chest again.

"You have to understand that Dean and I are protecting you from someone making this decision for you. We can only guide you so far before we are doing no better than the angels or Lucifer," Castiel said.

"I know, Cas," Katie said. "Thank you."

Then she startled him by kissing him on the cheek as she stood up. They walked back to the motel in a confortable silence, the setting sun made everything look orangey red and their feet kicked up dust along the road. Things were about to get crazy and they all knew it, so they savored the peace of the moment.


	5. Kindness Looks Good on Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains references to and attempts of rape. If this is not your cup of tea, please turn away now. Thanks!

Katie had always wanted to visit Colorado. The landscape was perfect and the weather fair. She inhaled the crisp mountain air deeply as they neared their destination for the next few days. They were going to stay in a cabin in Boulder. Katie called and made a reservation for newlyweds and managed to get them a complimentary upgrade on a room and plenty of free stuff. Dean complimented her on her con skills. Castiel was almost visibly annoyed when he said he would meet them in the room later that evening.

"We're the newlyweds," Katie said with a smile to the receptionist at the lodge. She grabbed Dean's hand and laced her small fingers through his larger, rougher ones and rested her head against his bicep.

"Oh, the new Mr. and Mrs. Rochester, welcome!" the young receptionist said warmly. But her warm tone didn't meet her eyes which looked up and down Katie's Superman t-shirt, baggy and ripped jeans, dirty pink Converse, twelve year old school girl hair, and black-rimmed glasses. The girl raised an eyebrow in disbelief as her eyes took in Dean's attractiveness, wearing his usual grey t-shirt, navy blue jacket, jeans and biker boots. Dean kissed the top of Katie's head, noticing the receptionist's unsaid cattiness.

"Thank you," Katie said to the receptionist as she was handed the key to their cabin.

"Randy will show you the way," the receptionist said, gesturing to a teenaged boy. He gave them a tight smile and picked up their bags.

The walk was less than five minutes but very beautiful. Katie promised herself that she would come back during a winter one year. Randy opened the door and set down their belongings.

"Well, the bedroom is this main room here. The tv has cable, the room has wi-fi, there's a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom though there, and there's a kitchenette just through there," Randy said and pointed everything out to them.

"Thanks, kid," Dean said before tipping Randy.

Katie and Dean were still holding hands and Katie turned towards Dean, placing her hand on his stomach and giggling seductively as Randy shut the door behind him. As soon as the door was shut and they were certain that Randy had walked away, they practically jumped away from each other. "That should keep them away for the night," Katie said and plopped down on the large bed with a sigh. It was one of those fancy beds that conform to the body of whoever lays in it.

Dean opened the fridge and took out the champagne. He opened it and they toasted the marriage of Edward and Jane Rochester, a reference that Dean didn't understand but delighted Katie. They turned on the tv and watched the news. Castiel arrived just before Dean turned up the volume to better hear the report of vicious animal attacks near the Flatirons. The bodies were all drained of blood.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" Dean exclaimed.

"Vampires?" Katie asked.

"Sounds like it," Dean said, pouring another glass of champagne and handing it to Castiel who set it down almost immediately.

"We can check it out tomorrow," Katie said. "We deserve a night off."

The boys agreed and Katie went to check out what else was in the kitchenette. She found strawberries and dark chocolate sauce and returned to sitting cross-legged on the bed between Castiel and Dean. "I like this. Can we pretend to be married everywhere we go? People give us a shit ton of free things."

"As long as you don't grab my ass as we walk away from the bitchy receptionist ever again," Dean said, dipping his finger into the bowl of chocolate sauce.

Katie giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't help it!"

Katie offered a chocolate covered strawberry to Castiel who shook his head. "What happens if you eat?" she asked him.

"I digest it," he said.

"Then you _can_ eat," Katie clarified.

"Yes, but I choose not to. I don't require food," Castiel explained.

"And I don't _require_ this chocolate, but I'm eating it anyways," Katie said, licking a chocolate covered finger and still holding the offered strawberry in the other hand.

Castiel looked at Katie and she held out the strawberry, now dripping chocolate down her wrist. He took the strawberry from her and took a bite. She watched his face for a reaction. "It is good," he said with a small smile.

Katie grinned and leaned back against the headboard with a content sigh.

"Why did they give us all this free stuff, anyways? Just because we said we were newlyweds?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Strawberries, dark chocolate, and champagne supposedly have something in them that stimulate a person's libido," Katie said casually, focusing on the tv.

"That's awkward," Dean said, pushing the bowls away from them.

Katie licked the chocolate that had dripped down her wrist. Castiel made a sound of disgust at her. "You are cleaning yourself like a dog."

"Fine, I'll just go use the Jacuzzi tub," Katie said, scooting off the bed and skipping to the bathroom.

"Aw man! I was going to go check it out!" Dean complained.

Katie taunted him as she shut the bathroom door. She took a long, luxurious bath with scented bubbles. She was soft, sleepy, and smelling of flowers when she exited the bathroom. Castiel was watching the tv without sound in the dark room. Dean's light snoring was heard coming from the bed. They hadn't thought of only having one bed. But the strawberries and chocolate made up for the inconvenience in Katie's mind. She climbed into bed next to Dean who reluctantly moved over to give her room after she poked him in the ribs.

"Are you sleeping there?" Castiel asked her.

"Um, yeah. There's only one bed and I'm not sleeping on the floor," Katie said as she settled into bed.

"Are you sure that is the best idea?" Castiel asked, watching her.

"I don't choose Dean, Cas. Don't worry," Katie said with a small smile.

"This feels… wrong. I don't like it," Castiel said, standing up.

"Relax, babe. Drink some champagne and watch tv. Tomorrow we're hunting vampires!" Katie giggled as her eyes grew heavy. She snuggled down under the covers. The bed was warm with Dean's body heat and the pillows smelled like lavender and the bed hugged her form. She was out cold in seconds.

The next morning they went to the police department disguised as animal control officers. The police told them what the teeth marks looked like, showed them photos, and revealed locations. The trio then went to the morgue to see the bodies first hand. Katie felt light headed and nauseated when she saw the bodies. Their necks were torn up and they were so pale from having no blood. She held on to Castiel for support.

They were back in the cabin by two in the afternoon. Dean and Katie were all for going out to hunt down the vampires' camp and getting them before sunset. But Castiel was unsure of Katie tagging along. So she poured Holy Water on her jacket, strapped some wooden stakes to her body, and begged to go. She told them of her master plan to kick one into the sun just to see if it sparkled ("They do not," Castiel had said. "Way to ruin my fun," Katie had responded and playfully punched his arm). When it was decided that Dean and Castiel would go in first and Katie would go in five minutes after them, they headed out.

The nest was in one of the unused cabins of a resort lodge. It had been destroyed by a storm the year before and had not been repaired yet. Three of the people attacked were inspectors who were assigned that cabin to estimate repair costs. They parked the Impala at the lodge and hiked, unseen, up into the woods surrounding the cabin. It was calm, serene, and eerily quiet. Katie hid behind the wood piles for a stove as Dean kicked down the door and entered with Castiel. Katie glanced at her Hello Kitty watch and began her five minute wait. She heard shouts and the sounds of struggle expected of a fight. She was too busy trying to listen for words in those shouts, in case it was one of the boys calling for help, and didn't hear someone sneaking up behind her.

Hands grabbed her under her arms and she heard a sizzling sound. Whoever had grabbed her denim jacket let go only to rip it off of her and grab her again. She struggled to get away and to scream for help but another set of hands grabbed her. Katie turned to see her attackers and saw three demons, not vampires. The sizzling sound had been because of the Holy Water she had poured on her jacket at the cabin. Her hands were held behind her as one demon in the body of a large, white man, with a bushy greying beard carried her into the cabin. She continued to scream for help, but it was no use. They were about two miles away from the lodge or any other cabin in use. The trees around them caught her voice and held it within their bark. She kicked and punched as much as she could but she was held tight.

Her eyes looked wildly around, blinking at the change in light, for Castiel or Dean. They came into view, their hands bound in chains hanging from the ceiling, incapacitating them. Dean had a cut above his eyebrow and it was bleeding into his eye and down his face. Castiel's nose was pouring blood down his shirt and onto the floor. She fought her hardest to free herself and the boys screamed at the demons to let her go, to kill them instead.

Once Katie's hands were bound in chains and hung from the ceiling, she realized what was happening. "Let me go!" she demanded in the harshest voice she could muster. She was facing both Dean and Castiel and they looked angrier than she'd ever seen them. And more beat to shit.

"Listen, you sons of bitches, this girl is innocent, she hasn't done anything to deserve this, let her go. Take me instead," Dean growled. He spat out the blood that had run into his mouth.

A female laugh came from the darker corner of the room. "That's exactly the point, Dean!"

They struggled to turn to get a look at the woman. It was the young receptionist from the lodge Dean and Katie had checked into. Her blue eyes were now black and her clothes and blonde hair were exactly as they had been the day before.

"She's the virgin who may either die or give birth to Lucifer's son," the woman said and stood close to Katie.

Katie tried to kick at her but her feet just barely scraped the ground and Katie couldn't push off to get enough force. The woman laughed again.

"Veronica," Castiel said.

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not Veronica," the demon woman said. "I'm what you could call her… spokesdemon."

"What do you want?" Castiel asked, his voice terrifyingly menacing.

"Well, Lucifer wants little Mary here dead. But Veronica had this idea that we force the choice of Dark on her," the demon woman said and stroked Katie's cheek. Katie spat at her face. The demon wiped it off with a "tsk, tsk."

"I'd rather die," Katie snarled. Panic and adrenaline, not the good kind, raced through her.

"Hm," the woman said simply. "That will be an option later."

"Come on, you can't do this!" Dean yelled, straining against his chains. He and Castiel had their feet bound, too, limiting on how well they could kick.

"I think," the woman said, circling Katie and looking over her, "that you came prepared for vampires." She lifted Katie's baggy grey shirt up to her ribs and saw the stakes. The demon gasped theatrically and unstrapped the belt holding them in place around Katie's waist. "Naughty, naughty." Then, she found Ruby's knife in the back of Katie's waistband. "Oh my, we are prepared."

"Leave me alone you fucking bitch!" Katie screamed.

"What language from such an innocent mouth!" the demon said, twirling Ruby's knife in her hands.

Katie made eye contact with Dean. A desperate and raving look blanketed his features. She looked to Castiel and saw the same. Both were straining against the chains binding their hands and feet. There were at least four dead people on the ground that attacked Dean and Castiel when they barged into the cabin and what appeared to be six other demons in the shadows, including the three that captured Katie.

The demon pulled at Katie's shirt and then sliced it down the middle with the knife. Katie felt exposed as her white cotton bra was visible between the two jagged halves of her shirt. She averted her eyes from anyone else in the room and began to cry. She felt hopeless and terrified. Her arms hurt from struggling and she knew it was no use. Dean and Castiel couldn't even break free from the chains.

"Now, to show your support," the demon woman said and sliced into Katie's skin an upside down cross covering her ribs to her jutting hip bones. Katie screamed as the knife cut through her skin. Blood drenched the top of her dark jeans.

"Just kill me, please!" Katie screamed. Tears flowed down her face and her breath caught in choking sobs.

Dean and Castiel were both roaring at the demon and struggling to get free. Dean was trying to kick at the demon woman by swinging his body. Their efforts were fruitless.

The demon woman gestured in the air for someone to approach them. The large man with the greying beard approached. He was wearing a button down paisley shirt and khaki pants and had an earring in one ear. His greying hair was long and pulled back into a pony tail and his beard was full. Another man was behind him. He was much taller and younger. Judging by his long hair style and skater clothes, he appeared to be about seventeen years old. He was muscular, though, and he approached Katie.

Both demon men reached out to grab Katie and she used her tip-toes to push herself as far back as she could go. Her feet slipped in her own blood and she swung back towards the demons. She was still sobbing and begging for them to kill her. She was threatening to hurt them, even though she couldn't. Dean and Castiel were bellowing in their thunderous voices for the demons to back away from Katie.

Horror, humiliation, and desperation filled Katie as she spat at the demons, kicked out her legs, and flailed around in her chains. They beat her until she saw stars to try to get her to cooperate. She tasted blood and her left eye was swollen. She screamed a high pitched, horrible scream as the demon men each grabbed one of her legs. They spread them out and the younger one reached for the top of her jeans. She moved as much as she could and put pressure on the legs they were holding, hoping to knock them over. But these demons were strong and the demon woman watched Katie struggle with amusement.

"No! No!" Katie was sobbing as the strength in her legs dwindled and the blinding pain in her now dislocated arms prevented her from moving. The demons had only managed to rip the fly on her jeans opened and she remained covered.

Throughout all the noise she heard Castiel scream "DEAN, KATIE CLOSE YOUR EYES! _CLOSE YOUR EYES_!" They obliged and the demons dismissed his yells with the rest.

There was a terrible screeching sound and white light flashed through the room as Castiel came out of his vessel. Katie resisted the urge to open her eyes to see his true form. Warmth spread over her body. It felt like safety, happiness, faith, friendship, and good chocolate. She wouldn't have ever been able to describe it accurately if prompted. But then the light and screeching ended and Katie wondered if she had died.

Her eyes remained shut and tears seeped through her lashes. There was the sound of someone breathing heavily near her and she struggled weakly to get away from them without opening her eyes, only able to whimper now. But warm hands grabbed at her bare and bloody waist trying to settle her as she felt a tugging at her hands. Her hands were freed just as the loss of blood from her stomach and the pain from her arms and legs caused her to lose consciousness. Someone caught her before she hit the ground.

Castiel's true form had killed all of the demons. Exposing his grace in front of demons sent them back to hell and burned the eyes out of the bodies they were possessing. Now, back in his vessel, he carried Katie outside. Dean limped after him after gathering their weapons from the floor of the cabin.

Katie was moaning in pain as she regained consciousness. Castiel laid her down on the cool grass and placed his hands on her stomach. He healed the deep cuts and then moved to her arms, legs, and her other minor cuts and bruises. He took slow, cautious, care of her; like he was afraid she would dissolve under his fingertips. Dean stood behind him and watched. Neither of them had spoken. There was nothing to discuss yet, only wounds to heal and a humiliated and exhausted girl to take to safety. Castiel picked her up again even though she was conscious. Her eyes were unfocused and staring as a steady flow of hot tears escaped them. Her mind was not intact- she had retreated within herself. Her hands clutched at the bloodied front of Castiel's shirt as he walked with the limping Dean back to the Impala.

Castiel and Dean got into the car, and Dean sped them out of town. Castiel cradled Katie in the back of the Impala, not wanting her to go without comfort. He rested her torso and head in his lap and her legs across the other seat. He shrugged off his coat and put it over her, fighting off the mid September air and held her in place with one arm. He stroked her face and damp hair with the other. Dean often glanced in the rearview mirror at the angel tenderly caring for Katie. Dean found it unexpected to see Castiel caring for Katie the way he was. He liked seeing Castiel openly gentle and warm towards Katie. The only emotions he had really ever seen Castiel show had been negative like anger and disappointment. This was new, and he surely didn't hate it. Kindness looked good on angels.

Once they stopped at a motel after driving for over a day, Katie still hadn't come out of her mental hibernation. She hadn't even asked for Dean to stop so that she could pee or insist that they stop at the various advertised attractions along the highway. She hadn't even moved from her place with Castiel. Dean got them a room and Castiel carried Katie directly to the sagging bed. He set her down and she immediately curled into the fetal position and closed her eyes. Dean watched her for a moment through bleary eyes before falling asleep in his own bed.

Castiel sat next to Katie and watched as she fought subconscious on conscious to fall asleep. He held her hand, knowing she'd have nightmares. A swell of hope encompassed him when her hand lightly squeezed his, acknowledging his presence. He smoothed her hair back with his other hand and whispered "Go to sleep, I am here."


	6. The One Where Lady Gaga Would Guest Star

Two weeks after leaving Colorado in pieces, Katie, Dean, and Castiel stopped in Cleveland, Ohio after a hunt. It was cold in Cleveland. Their breath came out in small puffs as they hurried down the street from their hotel to the nearest bar with their hands stuffed in their pockets. The nearest bar was actually a club and Dean complained about the music and atmosphere almost instantly. But Katie was stamping circulation back through her cold feet and said "This place is warm and has beer- we're staying" therefore putting a stop to Dean's complaining. They got their drinks from the bartender and found an open table near the back corner.

Katie stayed extremely close to Castiel and Dean. She was still anxious and scared after being attacked and almost raped by demons. She had to have one or both of them at her side at all times or she would panic. Every time a loud noise startled her or a stranger stood to close, she became jumpy and had to leave. Dean and Castiel worried for her but had faith that in time she would recover.

The corner where they sat was mostly dark, but every few moments a light would rotate onto them, synchronized with the music. The music was some popular hip hop song that was probably played on repeat on the local radio stations. The bass line pounded through the bodies of everyone there, creating tension and heightening adrenaline. Katie had never been a dancer due to a complete lack of coordination and the tendency to look like a hyperactive monkey in a cage, but she had always admired others' abilities. Now was no different. She sipped her beer and watched bodies swaying close together, heads thrown back, arms in the air, feet stomping with the beat.

Her view was obstructed as a petite and scantily clad blonde woman approached them. She was wearing a skin tight red dress that reached mid thigh and had a halter top. Her stiletto heels were high and a shiny black. She raised a thin eyebrow at Dean. He put down his beer bottle. "Come dance with me," she practically crooned and leaned on the table. Her bottom lip was in a pout.

Dean hesitated before he said "No" and looked away. Katie knew it was because he wasn't over Lisa. He had called to check up on her and Ben earlier that day and Lisa had scolded him about it and said she could take care of herself and her son. It seemed to really tear him apart that he couldn't get it to work with Lisa.

The blonde girl pouted further and turned to Castiel. He stared at her blankly.

"What about you? You wanna dance with me?" She continued in a sultry voice.

Castiel looked startled that she was asking him. He glanced at Katie as if to see if she was laughing at some womanly inside joke that he didn't understand. But Katie wasn't laughing; she was looking at the blonde with a mixture of annoyance and boredom. Castiel looked back at the blonde and said "No… thank you."

The blonde then looked at Katie with a ferocious glare. It was as if Katie was hogging Dean and Castiel for herself and not allowing them to dance. Katie rolled her eyes and drank the rest of her beer. The woman walked away, shooting glares back at Katie as she went.

It wasn't long before Katie's small bladder reacted to the beer and she stood up from the table to go to the bathroom. "I'll be right back," she said before squeezing through the groups of dancers.

Katie entered the restroom which was eerily quiet and empty. She was just coming out of a stall to wash her hands when the blonde stepped out in front of her. Katie was about to step around her to wash her hands when the woman said "Mary."

Katie stopped and slowly spun around to face her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Carla. A friend of Veronica's," she said simply and seductively.

Katie's heart rate spiked and she tried to make a dash to the door but without anyone touching it, one of the stall doors ripped off the hinges and blocked the door. Katie tried to rip it out of the way, but before she could, invisible hands dragged her forcefully back to the woman. "Dean! Ca-"

She wasn't able to finish because Carla stole her voice. Katie clutched at her throat and tried to scream for help.

"There, that's better," Carla said before she used her power to slam Katie against the wall. Katie was completely unable to move as Carla held out her hands and began to chant. Her chant was foreign to Katie and didn't sound Latin. Katie felt detached as Carla chanted louder and louder. The there was the sound of a whirlwind and Katie felt like she had just woken up from a deep sleep with a jarring realization. That's when she realized she was looking at herself against the wall. Confusion consumed her as she watched herself walk away from the wall and laugh with her voice.

Katie looked down and saw that she was wearing a red dress. She glanced at the mirrors along the wall and realized that she was in Carla's body. "Wh- what?" she asked in Carla's voice.

Carla in Katie's body sauntered towards her. "We've switched bodies. And I, or rather you, are going out there to seduce someone who physically cannot father a child."

"Why?" Katie asked as she tried to edge her way towards the door.

"Because if you're no longer a virgin, and the man you screw doesn't get you pregnant, you're useless," Carla said. "And stop trying to get to the door. You're not going anywhere."

Katie tried to run but the stall door blocking the exit flew at her and smashed into her. She was immediately unconscious.

"What a shame to hurt such a pretty face," Carla said, looking down at her former body. She sighed and concentrated to levitate Katie out of the window and dropped her outside before climbing out after. Katie was still unconscious in Carla's body as she was levitated into a dumpster which was then barricaded with trash and boxes from the alley.

Carla in Katie's body returned to the bathroom. She hummed as she looked in the mirror. She took out Katie's pig-tail braids and shook them out. Her hair then hung down her back and around her shoulders in shiny, brown and copper waves. Katie's glasses were tossed in the trash before she lit a match and blew it out and smudged the match around her eyes. Her green eyes were now smoky and seductive. Carla contemplated her new reflection and then decided to rip Katie's Wonder Woman t-shirt into a low v-neck. She bit her lips and pinched her cheeks for color before strutting out of the bathroom, stepping over the broken stall door.

She strutted back to Dean and Castiel just as a song was ending. She took Dean's drink and downed the rest of it just as the opening notes of Lady Gaga's "Teeth" blasted through the club. Dean and Castiel stared confusedly at Carla in Katie's body as she grinned seductively at them both. She danced to the song provocatively, gathering the attention of the surrounding dancers. Both Dean and Castiel were transfixed by her dancing. They never knew Katie had it in her to go from nerd to bombshell in minutes. Hips rotating in circles to the beat of the music. Lips moving to the lyrics. Dancing confidently and well, her whole body moving. People were staring.

"Dean," Castiel said hoarsely.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, not taking his eyes off of Katie's body.

"The sight of Katie dancing raises this strange feeling in my body. I think it is going to make me ill," Castiel said, only glancing at Dean.

Dean looked uncomfortable and amused at the same time. "You're not sick, Cas. You're turned on."

Castiel decoded his words. "You mean sexually aroused?"

"Yeah," Dean said and hoped that that was where the conversation ended.

"Show me your teeth!" came the shouted mantra of the song. Carla grinned at pointed at Dean and he laughed before showing her his teeth. She stroked his jaw and winked before turning to Castiel. She pointed to him as the mantra was repeated. "Show me your teeth!" She sat on his lap, straddling his legs as he bared his teeth. She ran her tongue over his teeth and felt him inhale sharply and jerk his head back. She stood up grinning at his shocked expression. She spun in a circle before stomping out the last few beats.

Out of breath, she returned to the table. "Let's get out of here," she said to Dean and the still immobile Castiel.

Dean had to shake his head to clear his mind before he responded. "S-sure, let's go. I think Cas here needs some fresh air anyways."

Castiel nodded and stood up and quickly made his way to the door. Dean and Carla grinned at each other and followed him out.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Dean said. "I didn't know you could dance like that."

"There are a lot of things about me that you don't know," she said in a voice too seductive for Katie's norm.

Dean chuckled "I think you've had too much to drink, Katie."

"Maybe," Carla said and ran to catch up with Castiel. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers. He looked down at her and she looked coquettishly back up at him.

"Hey, I'm going to go for a walk for a little while," Dean said, thinking that it was Katie trying to seduce Castiel.

Carla looked back at him only to wink. She and Castiel went back to the motel room hand in hand. Once inside, Carla turned to Castiel and looked up at him through her lashes. "I want you."

"Y- you want me… to be…" he started to respond nervously.

"To be the father of my baby. To be the righteous man to take my virginity," she said and slid a hand inside his coat to rest on his side.

"Katie, are you sure?" his deep voice was stern but his eyes were alight with pride and fear.

"Yes," Carla said before reaching up to tangle her fingers in his hair and pull his face down to her level. She smiled evilly as she kissed him. His lips were hesitant and unsure but she guided him.

"Something is wrong," Castiel said as he pulled away. His breathing was ragged and he studied Katie closely. "Something is different about you."

"You've never seen me desire you before," Carla lied flawlessly.

"No, it-" Castiel began but Carla cut him off by kissing him again, letting her tongue slip into his mouth. He was taken aback by this but she gave him no time to pull away. She pushed his jacket off of his shoulders and it pooled on the ground. She walked them towards one of the beds until his legs hit the mattress. Carla was winning.

Dean was strolling down the streets of Cleveland in the dark. There were thugs and muggers hiding in alleys, but something about him made them leave him alone. Maybe they sensed that he had seen things they'd never believe, or that he had been to hell and back. Literally. Dean circled back towards the club he, Castiel, and Katie had been at earlier.

As he was walking by he heard a banging sound. It wasn't the bass from the music inside, it was uneven and metallic. He stopped and listened as he took out his gun from his waistband. The noise was coming from the alley along side the club and Dean quietly moved towards it with his gun raised. Then he heard muffled screaming accompanying the metallic banging. He hurried along the building until the noise was loud enough for him to hear a woman's voice screaming "Dean! Cas! Somebody HELP!" He looked around and saw the barricaded dumpster and began to tear the trash away from it so that he could open the lid.

When he flung the lid open the woman screamed in terror.

"Who are you and why are you calling my name?" Dean demanded with his gun raised.

The blonde woman from earlier that evening rose from the trash. Garbage clung to her and a foul odor emanated from her. Dean covered his mouth and nose with his free hand.

"Dean, it's me!" the woman sobbed. "Katie!"

"What? You're not Katie. Katie's fine. Now who the hell are you?" Dean demanded.

"No, Dean, it really is Katie! That woman who asked you and Cas to dance earlier is a witch or a demon who is working for Veronica. She switched our bodies!" she insisted.

"Prove it," Dean said.

"Last week we drove down the highway in Florida in our underwear and I held our clothes out the window to dry because we got caught in a rainstorm during a case. And you said you wished Cas was there because you wondered if he wore boxers or briefs so I asked him the next time we saw him. Boxer briefs." She put her hands on her hips as if daring him not to believe her.

He lowered his gun. "You would choose an embarrassing moment," he said, a slight blush returning to his cheeks.

"So where's my body?" Katie asked as Dean lifted her out of the dumpster.

"Seducing Cas," he said.

"We gotta get there fast," Katie said and started to run. She got two steps before she let out a stream of curses.

Dean stopped and turned back to her.

"What the hell kind of shoes are these?" Katie shouted as she ripped the black stilettos off her feet. She ran with her head down watching for broken glass or anything else potentially dangerous.

When they arrived back at the motel Dean kicked in the locked door and Dean and Katie ran in. Carla and Castiel were on the bed and Castiel's shirt was unbuttoned and Carla was pulling his belt out of the loops on his pants.

"Woah woah woah. Stop," Dean said, obviously feeling awkward about seeing Katie undressing Castiel even though it wasn't really Katie.

"What is the matter, Dean?" Castiel asked. His hair was ruffled and his lips were swollen and red.

"That's not Katie," Dean said, pulling out his gun and aiming at Carla.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" Carla scoffed. "If you do then both me and Katie die."

"Don't shoot her, Dean," Katie said from behind him. He ignored her.

"Carla, I would like my body back," Katie said stepping into the middle of the room.

Castiel quickly buttoned his shirt and tried to understand what was happening.

"Oh, please," Carla laughed at Katie. "Put down your gun," she said to Dean.

Dean slowly lowered it to the floor. As soon as he straightened back up the gun flew to Carla's hand. He swore as she raised to gun to her head. But Cas appeared next to her and tore the gun from her hand. He tossed it to Dean and held Carla in place.

"Why did you do that?" Katie asked Carla. "You would die, too!"

"My purpose is to keep you from reaching your destiny any way that I can," Carla said.

"But you were going to make my body have sex with Cas. And he's an angel, a good guy. That would be completely counter productive," Katie said.

"Angels cannot reproduce with a human," Carla said. Then she smirked. "Besides, he's much more willing than Dean."

"So Katie would no longer be a virgin and wouldn't be pregnant," Dean said, sticking to the topic.

"Correct," Carla said.

"But it says in the Bible that an unnamed angel is who impregnated Mary," Katie said.

"Ever wonder why he wasn't named? It's because he was really just a man and they said he was an angel to protect his reputation," Carla said.

Katie looked at Castiel, but his face was blank.

"Well, you've failed, Carla. Now please, switch us back," Katie pleaded.

"Why, so you can kill me when you're back in your tiny, ugly body?" Carla laughed.

There was a flash of white light and Castiel shouted "Katie is not ugly, you are!" Dean and Katie covered their eyes instinctively as Castiel used his angel mojo. Katie felt the same calming effect of Castiel's power before she felt detached and the whirlwind surrounded her. Then she felt the jarring shock of awareness as she realized she was back in her own body. She became aware of her surroundings just as Castiel was leaving her side and running to Carla. He reached out a hand and it went through her chest to her heart. She screamed and light poured out of her eyes and mouth before she crumpled to the ground.

Then the room was completely silent before Dean said "That line was better than 'assbutt,' I'll give you that."

"Thank you," Castiel said even though he appeared to be trembling with rage.

"Is she...?" Katie started to ask.

Castiel nodded, not looking up at Katie or Dean.

"I'll take care of it," Dean said, noticing the tension in the room. He would rather dispose of a dead body than stay with Castiel and Katie as they worked things out.

As soon as Dean left the motel room, Katie approached Castiel. She touched his arm. "Cas, thank you."

"For what? I almost ruined everything," he said.

"No, for being such a good friend that you were willing to be the father of my fate baby," Katie said and stood in front of him. "And for putting me back in my body. Those shoes really hurt."

"You're welcome," Castiel said after a moment. He was still visibly angry and wouldn't look at Katie.

Katie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle in a hug. He hesitated before doing the same. She sighed into his chest. She looked up at him and he finally looked down at her. She scrunched up her nose and crossed her eyes. He gave a shaky lift of the corner of his mouth in response.

When Dean came back, Castiel and Katie were on one of the beds watching tv. Katie was showered and in her pajamas and curled around Castiel who as lounging with his coat and shoes off and his sleeves rolled up.

"I take it everything is going well?" Dean asked as he shrugged off his coat and kicked off his boots.

"Yeah," Katie said with a shrug.

"Look, Cas, I have to ask. Is what Carla said true?" Dean asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes and no," Castiel said. Katie sat up to pay attention. "No, an angel in his true form can not father a human child. But giving he is in a vessel with viable resources to reproduce, then yes."

"So, you can technically be the father of Katie's baby," Dean stated.

"No, because we have not had intercourse," Castiel said.

"I didn't mean now," Dean said with a raised eyebrow.

"It is possible in the future, if Katie chooses me as the father of her fate baby, as she so put it," Castiel said.

Katie looked thoughtful.

"Just… let me know before I wake up in the middle of the night to you two doing it," Dean said before going into the bathroom for a shower.

"I am sure that we would inform you," Castiel assured him.

Katie laughed before returning to her position cuddling with Castiel.


	7. Castiel Is Not An Action Figure

"We have to. We have to. We have to!" Katie insisted, bouncing up and down in the back seat.

"Apparently, we have to, Cas," Dean said with a sideways glance to Castiel in the passenger seat.

"So I hear," Castiel responded.

"It's up to Cas," Dean said with a noncommittal tilt of his head.

"_Pleasepleaseplease_!" Katie whispered over the seat, her breath hitting his ear in little puffs.

"Fine," he said and looked out the window.

Katie squealed in excitement.

"I don't know what you're so excited about," Dean said. "It's October. It's not beach weather and there will be no girls in bikinis."

"Um, there are hotel pools," Katie said.

They had just finished up a hunt for werewolves just outside Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and Katie insisted on stopping for a mini vacation. The trio did need some rest and relaxation after two weeks of traveling and hunting. A day or two poolside was exactly what they needed, according to Katie. It was easy to find a hotel along the beach on such short notice since it was October and the water was too cold for swimming.

A night was spent getting ice cream on a boardwalk, arcade games where Castiel was unfairly skilled at winning stuffed animals, and sleeping soundly in decent beds. The next morning they filled their bellies with a continental breakfast in the hotel and strolled around the almost empty touristy area. Katie bought a simple black two piece, halter top bathing suit and two pairs of swimming trunks at a shop while Castiel and Dean waited outside in the autumn sun. She was grinning ear to ear when she emerged from the store with a large bag in hand.

"How big is the bathing suit you bought?" Dean asked, eyeing the large bag.

"Normal sized. I bought you two swim trunks," she said as they walked back to the hotel.

"Why?" Castiel asked.

"For swimming," Katie replied. "Duh."

"I do not swim," Dean and Castiel replied simultaneously.

"And I don't fight demons," she replied in a catty tone.

An hour later, Katie and Dean were in their bathing suits and in the pool. No amount of coaxing or bribing got Castiel out of his trench coat and into the blue swim trunks. He sat in a chair next to the pool almost visibly sulking that he was there. They were the only ones there at the pool so they had free reign over the entire room.

Katie taught Dean to do a hand stand underwater and they timed how long they could hold their breath. Dean would probably never admit it, but he was having fun. He was hanging out with Katie like she was his little sister; competing in pool games and teasing each other.

"Hey, Cas," Katie asked him as she rested her folded arms on the cement surrounding the pool. She was right in front of him, and took note that he was within splashing range.

"What, Katie?" Castiel said in a bored tone.

"Do you have wings?" she asked. Dean took interest in the conversation and joined her against the wall of the pool.

"My true form does, yes," he replied.

"Can I see them?" Katie asked.

"Not without your eyes being burned out," Castiel replied.

"Do you have it under control all the time?" she asked. "Like if you are surprised, do you loose control of your vessel?"

"I am always in control of my vessel. Why do you ask?" Castiel was looking at her curiously.

"Just wondering," she said and thought for a minute. "I used to have this action figure that had a button that made wings pop out of its back. Do you have a button, Cas?"

"No, but if I did, you would currently be pressing it," he said with a slight raise of an eyebrow.

Dean laughed. Katie pouted and splashed at Castiel.

"But can you fly? Or are you like a penguin?" Katie asked.

"How do you think I get us from one place to another so quickly?" he asked her.

"I thought you could Apparate. Like in Harry Potter," she said with a shrug.

"I am not a fictional boy wizard," Castiel told her.

"No, no you're not. But, since you're not swimming, could you make lunch appear?" Katie asked.

Dean agreed loudly from the other side of the pool that he had swum to. Castiel rolled his eyes and left the pool room.

When he came back he had two double cheeseburgers, fries, and drinks from the restaurant in the hotel. Waterlogged Katie and Dean climbed out of the pool and sat on the white plastic lounge chairs to eat.

"I just thought of something," Dean said, looking pensive. Katie and Castiel looked at him questioningly. "If you don't have room in your body for a double cheeseburger, where are you going to put a baby?"

Katie looked down at her half eaten sandwich. "I don't think you quite understand the concept of pregnancy, Dean."

Dean grinned. "But I know how to get a girl pregnant. And that's all I need to know about the topic."

"Hardly," Katie scoffed.

"Look who's talking. A virgin telling me that she knows more about sex than I do!" Dean laughed.

"No, I was saying I know more about _pregnancy_ than you. Though, I'm sure I know plenty more about sex than you. I read," Katie said, standing up to go back to the pool.

"Not a chance!" Dean exclaimed as he jumped up and ran back to the pool.

Katie screamed and followed him and they both did cannon balls into the deep end. Castiel stood up and approached the pool. "I thought there was a law that said one must wait an hour after eating to swim."

"Not law, just recommendation," Katie said. "But, I'll wait." She climbed the ladder of the pool next to Castiel.

He was just opening his mouth to say something when Katie wrapped her arms around his torso and jumped into the pool, dragging him with her. Dean was roaring with laughter when Katie and Castiel emerged from the water. Katie beamed at Castiel and he glared at her. His hair was flat against his head and Katie reached out and made it stick up. He continued to glare at her as she continued to smile innocently at him. She gave him a quick kiss before swimming away. She didn't know why she did it but it made her stomach flip over and her breathing hitch, making it difficult to swim.

Suddenly a wall of water washed over her like a tidal wave, making her spin head over heels. Her body collided with Dean's as they both tried to swim to the surface. When they emerged they looked around wildly, breathing rapidly. Castiel smirked at them before climbing out of the pool, his trench coat dark from the water.

"Not cool, Cas!" Dean scolded him.

Castiel shrugged off his drenched coat and laid it on one of the plastic chairs. His white shirt was transparent and his tie was thrown over his shoulder.

"And the winner of the wet shirt contest is Castiel!" Katie whooped. Dean chuckled.

"Not funny," Castiel said. "I feel quite exposed."

"Oh please!" Katie scoffed. "You two have seen me at the most vulnerable moment of my life and you're worried about a wet shirt?"

"She's got a point. Dude, we're way past pride in modesty here," Dean said.

"Says the man that refuses to put on clothes an hour after taking a shower," Katie said, pointing at Dean.

"You- you walk around unclothed in front of Katie?" Castiel asked, suddenly immobile.

Dean looked at Castiel curiously for a moment. "Not completely unclothed. Don't worry, Cas, I wouldn't risk her seeing me in all my glory and choosing me to father her child," he said jokingly.

Katie giggled. Castiel looked frustrated.

Dean looked to Katie "Let's see if your hand stand is any different with food in your stomach," he said.

Katie excitedly agreed and dove underwater.

"Cas, do you have a thing for Katie, or something?" Dean asked the angel. He appeared as though the last thing he wanted to do was to ask this question. It was like asking his best friend if he had feelings for his little sister. Even though she was a grown adult, he felt as though he needed to approve of the man she chose.

"I am unsure of my feelings for Katie. It is troubling," Castiel responded, his brow furrowed in concentrated thought.

"If you like her, tell her," Dean said just before Katie surfaced next to him.

Castiel looked at Dean and shook his head. A look of fear was on his face as he refused. Dean made a face of annoyance.

That night they were strolling along the beach in the dark, enjoying the stars and the sound of the ocean. Katie had taken off her shoes and was carrying them as she walked barefoot in the sand. Katie and Dean were bundled in sweaters and thick jeans and Katie wore a cream colored knit hat. She rolled up her pants to her knees and ran out to the water, letting it wash over her toes. She squealed and ran back to the guys. "That water is cold!"

"Have you ever been to the ocean before, Cas?" Katie asked. Dean had lagged behind them, saying he wanted to think for a little while.

"Not for pleasure, no," he said and glanced back to see Dean.

"And this isn't business? Isn't it your job to protect me?" Katie asked him.

"Yes, it is. But Dean is very capable. I did my job bringing you to him," Castiel replied.

Katie looked at him, the moon and starlight were the only things lighting their path and the light shined in his eyes. "So you don't have to be here right now?"

"I figured that Dean would need all the help he could get. You are quite a handful," he said, a smile only playing in his eyes and never extending to his lips.

"Sorry." Katie smiled.

"There is never a-" Castiel started but stopped. His expression closed of completely as he stared at something behind Katie.

"What?" she asked and turned to see a man walking towards them. She squinted her eyes against the dark and realized who the man was. She had seen pictures of him, had read about him, and heard about him from Dean. She sucked in a breath and turned back to where Dean was. "Dean!" She screamed and he came running.

Dean got to them before the man did. The man was wearing a perfectly tailored dark blue suit that looked black in the moonlight. Dean's eyes were wide and fearful and he stepped forwards towards the man. Katie gripped Castiel's hand tightly.

"Sammy?" Dean asked in a whisper.

"Sort of," he replied with a small smirk.

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?" Dean asked warily.

"He's a vessel," Castiel said, "for Veronica."

Dean's face fell and he pulled the Colt from his waistband. Katie began to panic and stepped behind Castiel with Ruby's knife in her hand from her own waistband.

"Why Sam?" Dean questioned Veronica.

"Because nobody else was using it and I knew it would tug at your little heart strings," Veronica said and moved closer to them. "And don't you even think about pulling that trigger." She held up her hand and Dean's gun flew to her. "I'm here to talk to Katie."

Katie took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Castiel and let go of his hand. "What do you want?" She asked in what was supposed to be a strong voice but it shook.

"Have you made your choice of a father for your child yet?" Veronica asked.

"No," Katie responded. "And if I had, I surely wouldn't tell you."

"Why not? I'm sure we could be best friends!" Veronica said in such a sweet tone that Katie wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or just plain mean. "If you tell me now that you will give up your choice to Lucifer, I can guarantee that your child will be well taken care of. I can guarantee that I will watch over your dear baby boy like a best friend would. It would be guaranteed one hundred percent that your family would be safe. And, of course, I can get you some power of your own. You would not go unrewarded. So how does that sound? Care for your child, safety for your family, power, and the freedom from having to choose a father on your own."

"But what would happen to her after the baby was born?" Dean asked even though he knew that she would die.

Veronica smirked again and chuckled. "While it is true that Katie's human life would be finished, her immortal life would begin."

"What do you mean?" Katie asked, shaking her head.

"I mean that you would have the freedom to walk Earth with humans, be with your son, and be with your family," Veronica replied.

"She would be a demon," Castiel stated.

"Yes. Top ranking. Very high authority and pay grade," Veronica said, looking directly at Katie.

Veronica was looking at Katie like she was seeing into Katie's mind or soul. It unsettled her so she looked away and towards the lights of the hotels.

"Absolutely not. I do not accept your offers," Katie said, gripping Ruby's knife in her sweating palm. She looked at Veronica when she said this and saw her expression change. Her eyes went from Sam's green to demon black.

"Then you are of no use to me," Veronica said simply.

Katie knew this was a death threat and turned to run almost on instinct. She started to run for her life towards the strip of hotels but didn't get far. Veronica raised her arms and both Dean and Katie were gone and Castiel stood alone with the demon.

"Where are they?" Castiel demanded harshly.

Veronica's black eyes danced with suppressed mirth as she approached Castiel. She got right in his face so that their noses were almost touching. "Hide and seek, angel." And then she was gone, leaving Castiel alone.

He couldn't instantly know where they were because of the Enochian sigils on their rib cages and he grew angrier by the millisecond. He spun around, trying to see if they were actually nearby but saw no sign of them. He knew that they were probably somewhere dangerous since death was the goal. He was filled with unangelic rage as he realized he failed to protect Katie. Castiel's true form emerged from his vessel as he flew along the coast and a few miles out. When he had searched for two hours he searched the alleys and basements of the city for another two hours before going back to the ocean.

About two hundred miles off the coast, Katie and Dean struggled to stay afloat in the ocean. They clung to each other in silence as their legs grew tired of swimming. They didn't even know which direction to swim. The moon was directly above them and they didn't know which star was the North Star since there were so many visible in the sky when there were no city lights. The water was beyond cold, it was just above freezing temperature. Their lips were blue and frosted as their jaws chattered. Every breath was painful and their skin felt like needles were sticking into their skin.

"It's like fucking _Titanic_," Dean said.

"I'll never let you go, Jack," Katie quoted feebly and squeezed Dean's hands harder.

"Cas will find us," Dean said confidently even though his teeth were chattering.

"Enochian sigils," Katie said.

"Fuck," Dean groaned.

"Agreed," Katie whispered.

Over an hour later they couldn't feel their bodies as they floated on their backs. Katie knew by looking that she and Dean were still gripping hands, but she couldn't tell. She felt like she was dead already. Her jaw had stopped chattering and froze in place. Consciousness was fading in them both. She locked eyes with Dean and watched as consciousness left him, his eyes rolling back in his head. She screamed in her head to reach out and grab him, but her body wouldn't move. A wave washed over them and pushed Dean under water. Her eyes were frozen shut from the wave and she was giving up. She said a silent prayer to Castiel, even though it hadn't worked the last thousand times she and Dean tried. _Good bye, Castiel. Thank you for everything. I love you._ Everything went black and water filled her already struggling lungs.

Castiel's blind fury had blocked his ability to hear the prayers sent to him. But just as his hope of finding his friends died, so did the majority of his anger. That's when he heard her. He was above her and Dean in the ocean in a split second. He didn't see them and dove into the water in his vessel, just in case their eyes were open. He swam with fury as he used his angel power to light his way and saw Dean and Katie, still holding hands, sinking to the bottom. He grabbed them both and flew them to their hotel room. He immediately checked to see that they were alive before quickly doing every spell he knew to protect the room. He didn't use angel magic to heal them or protect the room, because it would attract attention from demons and Veronica. He couldn't risk it. So he sliced open his hand and drew symbol after symbol on the walls and doors, devils traps, incantations, and put salt around the room. He was done in minutes after years of practice for this kind of situation.

Dean and Katie were unconscious and he piled blanket after blanket on top of them. He cranked up the thermostat in the room, stole blankets from other rooms, and got under the blankets with them. His vessel's body heat helped them greatly and he fought his temptation to use angel healing. When their clothes thawed he carefully changed them into layers of dry clothes before lying with them under the blankets again. Their bodies were not completely frozen, but they were in shock from the cold and hypothermia had set in. He would heal them later when they would not attract so much attention.

It was about three hours before Castiel was sure that their bodies were warm. He took off some of the blankets and moved Katie to her own bed. He watched over her until her eyes opened. He immediately began making coffee in the coffee maker so that she would have a hot drink. He did the entire process wrong, but Katie said nothing. She sipped the hot water with coffee grounds and sugar in it and made a face. She drank most of it anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Castiel asked.

"Horrible," Katie said her voice raspy.

"I will heal you and Dean properly later," he promised.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "How did you find us?"

"Just when I had given up hope and my anger was no longer controlling me, I heard your last prayer," Castiel said sheepishly.

"So all that praying would have worked if you could have controlled your temper?" Katie tried to exclaim.

"Yes," Castiel said guiltily and looked away from her.

She touched his hand to say that she wasn't upset with him.

"I was enraged that I had not done my duty to protect you. I could have killed Veronica but I did not. It is my fault that you and Dean almost died," he said, his expression one of self hatred. "I- I could not have your death on my hands. It would… destroy me, I think."

Katie sat up. "No, this is not your fault, Cas. You have been taught to give mercy even to your enemies; it is part of who you are. Your kindness is one of the reasons I love you so much," she said forcefully but kindly.

Dean woke up but remained silent and listened.

"You…" Castiel didn't know what to say or how to say it.

"Yeah, I, uh, kinda love you, Cas," Katie said self consciously. "So does Dean."

Castiel's face fell.

"But I don't think he loves you the same way that I do. At least I hope he doesn't. Actually, I kinda hope he does, it would be interesting to fight over you. HA! Or share you!" she giggled nervously.

"I do not understand what you are saying," Castiel said looking at her like he was afraid the cold water wrecked her brain.

Katie took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm saying: I choose you, Cas."

"You choose me?" he asked, his voice sounding forced.

"Yeah, is that okay? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to," Katie said. Her voice was an octave above normal as she tried to figure out Castiel's reaction.

"I-" Castiel started to say. His expression was still unreadable.

"Wait. You know what? I don't care. If I don't have a say in my fate, then you don't have a say in yours. You're going to be the father of my fate baby whether you like it or not. Bitch," Katie said loudly and leaned towards Castiel, a challenge in her eyes. They were mere inches apart now, their noses almost touching.

"Fortunately, I was about to agree to being the father," Castiel said, a smile tugging slightly at his lips.

Katie smiled brightly at him before wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her lips at the crook of his neck. He held her to his chest tightly.

"Oh, Dean, you are awake," Castiel said, pulling away from Katie.

"Yeah, I am. What happened?" Dean asked, eyeing Katie and Castiel warily.

"Katie has chosen to have intercourse with me to create the Son of Light," Castiel replied with audible happiness in his voice.

"I was awake for that part, Romeo. I'm talking Veronica in Sam's body," Dean clarified.

"Samonica," Katie said.

"Sure." Dean shook his head.

"She left just after she put you two in the ocean," Castiel said, lowering his eyes in guilt again.

"Damn!" Dean said before lying back in the bed again. He groaned in frustration.

Katie held Castiel's hand as he looked guiltily at Dean.

"Dean, Cas thinks that this is his fault. Could you be a little nicer?" Katie asked.

"It's not your fault, Cas. Stop being emo before Katie goes off and chooses someone else," Dean said.

"That's right. I don't like emo boys. Unless they're wearing guyliner. Like Jared Leto," Katie said with a nod.

"I did not understand anything you just said," Castiel said, sounding frustrated.

"It's not important," Katie laughed.

"So when are you two going to do it?" Dean asked.

"After we leave here and after you both are properly healed," Castiel said. "It would be best to conceive the child as soon as possible."

"Perv," Katie said with a giggle.

"Who would have known?" Dean said

"I understand every language on Earth and I still do not understand _half_ of what you two say," Castiel said, standing up.

"I said you are a pervert and Dean agreed," Katie laughed,

"Well, I am looking forward to the act of conceiving the child, if that is what you mean," Castiel said thoughtfully. "According to Dean, I've been looking forward to it for awhile."

"What?" Dean laughed.

"You said that what I was feeling was arousal when I looked at Katie. I had been feeling it for awhile," Castiel said.

"This is so awkward," Katie said but giggled nervously anyways.

"For what it's worth, I'm looking forward to this being _over_," Dean said tiredly.

Katie lowered her eyes to her hands on her lap. She wanted this to be over too, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for the life changing fate yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I can't decide if I'll write a sexy scene for Cas and Katie or not. What do you think?


	8. Threesomes Aren't Included In the Loophole

Castiel was practically carrying both Katie and Dean down to the Impala. Once they got to the car and were ready to leave, he would heal them completely. After being almost frozen, their nerves and muscles weren't in good shape. Every step felt like knives pricking and slicing their whole body; like they were back in that freezing water. Katie whimpered quietly and gripped Castiel's coat as hard as she could, trying to block out the pain in her legs. Dean swore and cursed with every other step and fell when he insisted he could walk on his own. It was hell for Castiel, too; knowing that he could fly them down to the Impala in a second, but not being able to without giving away the presence of an angel.

Dean fumbled to open the backseat door of the Impala and Castiel helped Katie get in. While she was slumped over in her seat groaning that the seat was made of glass shards, Castiel helped Dean into the driver's seat. He then ran around to the passenger's seat, started the car for Dean who couldn't grip the keys, and reached out to touch both of their foreheads. A flash of light and they were both healed completely. Dean immediately shifted the car into gear and slammed on the gas just before Veronica appeared next to where they had been parked.

"Where to?" Katie asked Dean and Castiel.

"Where do you want to go?" Dean asked.

"Why is it my choice? I just chose Myrtle Beach. I think it's Cas' turn to choose," Katie said casually.

"Where do you want to conceive your child?" Castiel asked.

"Oh," Katie said, taken aback. "_That_'s not something you hear everyday."

"I would hope not," Castiel said, looking scandalized.

"Let's go somewhere _romantic_," Katie said dreamily. "Somewhere beautiful."

"Vegas!" Dean exclaimed.

"That's the opposite of romantic," Katie scoffed. She gasped as she thought of something rather important. "Cas! Do we have to be married for this to happen? Is this considered premarital sex?"

Castiel turned in his seat to face Katie with a strange grin on his face. Like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Dean and Katie were creeped out by this and a little bit worried. "Loophole," he said proudly.

"And that is?" Dean asked.

"I'm an angel doing God's work," Castiel replied, his eyes alight with mischief.

"Did you clear this with the boss?" Katie asked, still wary of Castiel's mischievous attitude.

"He has not contacted me to say otherwise," Castiel said with a shrug.

"Good enough for me," Katie said and sat back in her seat.

Dean drove North as he waited for Katie to give him a better description than "pretty" and "not Vegas."

"Connecticut!" Katie shouted randomly after a few minutes, making Dean and Castiel jump. "Connecticut in autumn? _Beautiful_!"

"Alright, Connecticut it is," Dean said and sped up.

It was a thirteen hour drive straight there, but they zig-zagged their path incase they were followed. It took them almost a full twenty four hours to get to the small, old bed and breakfast situated on a large plot of land. The ground was covered in red, orange, and yellow leaves and the brisk air smelled of cinnamon and leaves. Katie breathed deeply when she got out of the car.

They requested two rooms from the woman at the desk. She smiled at Castiel and Katie as she showed them to a room at the end of a hall. The woman told them that it was their best room. She showed Dean to their smallest room, and left them with the keys. Katie and Castiel and Dean went into the bigger room and looked around. It was beautiful; decorated in cream, gold, and a pale pink. The bed was an antique four poster bed with sheer pale pink and cream curtains draped around it. All of the fixtures and decorations were antique and the fireplace was well stocked with hand chopped wood.

After admiring Katie and Castiel's room, they opened the door to Dean's room. Katie laughed out loud and Dean threw down his bag on the floor.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Dean exclaimed, causing Katie to laugh even harder.

The entire room was floral. And not a dainty, pale floral, it was a huge and gaudy floral. The curtains, bedspread, lampshades, and the rug on the floor matched perfectly.

"Me and Sammy have stayed in some horrible rooms in our days, but _this_. This just crosses the line from ugly to shoot-the-decorator-ugly," Dean complained.

"I would invite you to stay in our room, but…" Katie trailed off into giggles.

"Trade?" Dean practically begged.

"You were in Hell, but this room is worse?" Castiel asked.

Dean glared at him.

She and Castiel left Dean's room when he said he was going to get a shower, but she didn't want to be alone with Castiel yet. Katie was beginning to get nervous for later that night. She and Castiel were in their room and he was watching her as she put her bag on a chair and took out her cell phone.

"I think I'm going to go talk to Dean when he gets out of the shower," Katie lied. "But I want to talk to him privately, so I'll be back in a little while."

Castiel nodded and Katie kissed him on the cheek, grabbed her room key, and left. She walked down the hall to Dean's room and looked around for the keys to the Impala and his wallet. Stealing his car and wallet made her tummy feel sick, but she needed to be alone for a little while. She didn't see them anywhere and snuck into the bathroom. Thankfully, the shower curtain was the same dark floral as the rest of the room and he couldn't see her figure sneaking in. She picked up his discarded jeans and found the keys and wallet in his pockets. She knew he wouldn't notice they were missing. He rarely got dressed an hour after showering and she wasn't planning on being gone that long anyways.

Katie snuck out of the room and down to the Impala. She started it up, hoping Dean didn't have some sixth sense for when someone else was driving his baby. She adjusted the seat and mirrors and wished she had something to sit on to see the road better.

"Stupid old cars," she grumbled as she pulled out of the parking spot. Now she knew why Dean always denied her the ability to drive.

She drove to the nearest mall, which was just ten minutes away from the bed and breakfast and near the highway they had come off of. She had remembered it there and had taken note that it had a Victoria's Secret. Katie had never step foot in the door of a Victoria's Secret before, but she had also never wanted to look sexy before. There was a first time for everything.

She parked the Impala clumsily and hopped out. She was greeted half heartedly by some hot, blonde girl who looked at Katie like she should just turn around and leave. "Welcome to Victoria's Secret. Can I direct you to the clearance rack?"

Katie would normally have said something horrible to the girl and left, but she didn't want to go driving about looking for another lingerie store. "No. I'm here because I'm losing my virginity to a smoking hot angel tonight. I need something sexy. No matter the price." _Because my credit card is stolen and fake anyways_.

"Oh, okay. Well then," the blonde said, snapping into action. "My name is Ashley and I know just the thing for you!"

Forty five minutes later, Katie left the store with a bra, panties, and a short robe all made of a pale pink silk with white lace trim, a flowery and sexy body wash, shimmer lotion, and perfume, a pearl nail polish, a selection of pale and shimmery make up, and instructions on how to do her hair from almost every woman in the store. She thanked them all and ran to the Impala to drive quickly back to the hotel, all of her anxieties had melted away.

She checked her phone to see that both Castiel and Dean had called her and left frantic voicemails. _Whoops_. She called Castiel.

"Katie where are you? Are you alright? I am coming to get you," Castiel said by way of greeting. Dean was heard in the background calling her horrible names.

"Hi, Cas. I'm fine, I went shopping," she said, her voice falling as she realized how bad that sounded. _Oh hey, I went out for a nice little shopping spree while my life is in danger from angels and demons alike_.

"You went shopping?" Castiel's voice was full of a disbelief and annoyance that only she could cause.

"For sexy lingerie, if that helps at all," she said apologetically.

Castiel cleared his throat. Katie smiled.

"Come back soon. Dean and I were very worried," Castiel said before hanging up.

Katie pulled into the parking lot and was greeted by two angry faced and well muscled men. And she was pretty sure that Dean wouldn't be afraid to pull her by her braids back to her room. She smiled innocently at them. Castiel looked at the bag she was holding and then back up at her. She winked at him. Dean was another story. He scolded her for stealing his baby and adjusting the seats and mirrors and not telling them that she was going anywhere and for not answering her phone the entire way back to her room.

Once they reached her and Castiel's room, she turned to Dean who had started to come in with them. "I don't think a threesome would fit into the loophole," Katie said to Dean.

Castiel pulled a face of disturbance and shook his head.

Dean stepped out of the room and looked at them strangely. He looked like he wanted to give Castiel a "talk" but he didn't say anything of the sort. "Uh, have fun, you two. And uh, call me in the morning," he said and gave them one last undecipherable glance before going back to his room.

Katie shut the door and then locked it. She turned to Castiel who was framed by the sun setting through the window behind him. She smiled at him. "I'm going to go take a shower and change. I'll be out in a little while," she said, her voice lower than usual. It was unintentionally sexy. Really it was just her returned nerves constricting her vocal chords. She grabbed her pink bag of new things in her sweaty palm and went into the bathroom.

She showered quickly, not washing her already clean hair. She kept her hair in its braids as she showered with the new body wash and meticulously shaved her legs. When she got out she applied the shimmery body lotion. The shimmer was gold and made her pale skin look sparkly. She lightly spritzed her hair with the perfume as well as the clothes she had bought so that the deep smell was everywhere. She painted her nails and then did her make up like the girls at the store had told her to. All pinks and shimmer and lots of mascara. Her glasses were left on the bathroom counter. She shook her hair out of its braids and tousled it a little. Katie dressed and took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door.

While she had been in the shower Castiel grew nervous. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing. He called Dean.

"I'm not talking you through this, Cas," Dean said as soon as he answered the phone. Dean was lounging on the ugly bed, watching tv and eating self pity junk food. Everyone was getting laid but him.

"Katie's in the bathroom getting ready. What do I do?" Castiel whispered into the phone.

Dean saw this as an opening to have his own fun. "You take off that damn coat and suit jacket, for one. Then you take off your shoes, unbutton the white shirt and mess up your hair."

"What will this do?" Castiel asked as he did what Dean suggested.

Dean was forcing back laughter. "Just go with me here."

"What about my tie?" Castiel asked, as he looked in the mirror above the dresser.

"Loosen it and leave it between your shirt opening," Dean said, biting his lip against his mirth.

"Is that all?" Castiel asked nervously.

"Relax. It's her first time, too. She knows just as little as you do," Dean said.

"Relax," Castiel repeated thoughtfully.

"And Cas?" Dean said, serious now.

"Yes?"

"Be good to her," Dean instructed.

"Of course," Castiel said like it was obvious.

They hung up and Dean went back to watching tv and Castiel went back to leaning against a bed post. His arms were crossed over his semi exposed chest and his head rested against the bed post as he waited anxiously.

The bathroom door opened and Katie stepped out. The setting sunlight was still shining into the room. The light gathered color from the leaves outside and bled red and orange through the cream curtains. Castiel stood as his wide eyes took her in. She smiled shyly and looked down. He moved towards her but stopped halfway, the sunlight shone through the ends of his tousled hair.

"You called Dean," Katie said, smiling with amusement now as she noticed his appearance.

"Yes, I was unsure of what to do," Castiel said, his voice hoarse.

"It's okay, so am I," Katie said and closed the distance between them. "But I guess we start with a kiss."

Their lips met, not for the first time, but for the first time romantically. Though Castiel had kissed the witch that had switched bodies with Katie, he had kissed no one else. Katie parted her lips and ran the tip of her tongue across his lips and he realized what she was doing and responded. When she slid her hands against the bare skin of his chest he kissed her more vigorously. He spun them around and walked them to the bed. When Katie's legs hit the mattress, she broke their kiss.

"Get in bed," she whispered.

He obliged and reclined against the headboard. He watched her, his eyes dilated, lips parted, and his hands bracing himself against the bed on either side of him. She smiled seductively and untied her pink silk robe. She let the material slide off of her shoulders easily and pool on the floor around her feet. She watched as his eyes dilated completely, the blue almost completely gone, when he looked at her. Her skin shimmered from the lotion and the light streaming in the window making her look majestic, almost angelic. She climbed into the bed and towards him, discretely wiping her sweaty palms on the cream colored silk sheets. She settled on his lap, straddling him, and kissing him frantically. She angled her hips and they moaned into each other's mouths. His fingers gripped her hips and pulled her to him.

Katie felt him through his pants and realized that she had never really thought about Castiel having a penis. Sure he was a guy and she was attracted to him, but she never really thought about it. Then again, she didn't think about Dean having one either. It's not like she thought they had left their penises at home and just not brought them along or anything, she just never sexualized her thoughts about them. But she smiled now and rocked her hips against Castiel's hips so that she could hear him make that noise again.

"Some angels Fall for this," Castiel said breathlessly. "Now I know why."

"Maybe it's just me that's really good," Katie teased.

"My frame of reference is slim, so you _could_ be the only factor that is making me want to explode," he replied huskily.

"Please, no violent exploding. If you died while taking my virginity, I would think that I was cursed. Besides, the maintenance bill would be atrocious," Katie said as she removed Castiel's shirt. His muscles shifted as he moved to get the shirt off. She pulled him by his tie so that he was sitting up straight and she sucked at his neck. They quickly discovered that there was a spot just below where his jaw and neck meet that made him loudly take the Lord's name in vain when lightly nibbled on.

Katie pulled his belt out of the loops with a swish of leather on cotton as his hands traveled up her body. He ran his palms over the front of her bra clad breasts and she tilted her head back and moaned her approval. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and kissed him, biting his bottom lip lightly. His hands moved lower, tickled across her stomach, and one rested on her thigh as the other moved even lower. He rubbed his hand lightly over the front of her panties and her body involuntarily jerked towards him and she gasped his name. She gripped his shoulders and cried out against his mouth as he did it again.

She reached down and lightly ran her finger tips over his boxer brief covered penis. It was a feather light touch but it left him panting and sweating. She smiled proudly at the Jello limbed Castiel as she continued to touch him through his boxers. He was writhing beneath her, moaning her name and various pent up obscenities.

There was panicked knocking at their door.

"_What_?" both Katie and Castiel snapped.

"I'm _so sorry_ to interrupt, but uh, we have a situation," came Dean's voice through the door.

"What is it?" Castiel asked, covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow. Dean opened the door a crack with his spare key.

"Demons surrounding the building. They're everywhere," Dean whispered furiously into the room .

"Shit, should we leave?" Katie asked.

"There are too many to fight off," Dean said. "I'm sorry but you two should get dressed and we should get going."

Katie groaned.

"You can finish up later," Dean said. "But right now, we need to keep you alive."

"I know, I know," Katie said and climbed off of Castiel and out of bed. She pulled on her robe, grabbed her unpacked bag and followed Dean to his room as Castiel put on his white shirt and pulled up his pants and draped his coat over Katie's shoulders.

Dean grabbed his bag and they calmly and quietly made their way to the lobby. Once they were in the front hall, they sprinted to the Impala. Halfway across the parking lot there was an explosion. They stumbled forward from the force and Castiel gripped Katie's arm to keep her on her feet. Katie glanced back to see fire curling out the window of the room she and Castiel had just been in. They reached the Impala, got in and Dean put the key in the ignition. Castiel gripped Katie's hand in the backseat as he used his other hand to project his angel mojo to push the approaching demons away. Katie cowered in the backseat and squeezed her eyes shut. Dean pulled the car out of the parking spot and Veronica appeared in front of the car, holding out her hand and stopping the tires. Smoke and the smell of burning rubber came from the tires as Dean tried to run over Veronica. Demons tugged on the car doors and one broke the glass to the window near Katie. She screamed and punched the demon that tried to grab her. Castiel leaned into the front seat and held out both of his hands, setting Veronica on fire. Her power over the car let up and Dean was able to speed away.

Katie was curled up in her seat with her eyes closed when Castiel placed a hand over hers. She looked up at him and he gave her a look of disappointment and sadness. She rested her head against his chest and sighed. He stroked her hair.

"So, did you two do it?" Dean asked from the front seat.

"No," Castiel replied, an edge to his tone. "And I would rather not talk about it."

"Ditto," Katie said grumpily as she brushed glass off her and the seat.

"Well, now what?" Dean asked.

"We find somewhere else," Katie said, reaching to her bag and pulling out a pair of jeans and a threadbare but soft t-shirt that she had stolen from Dean weeks ago. She put the clothes on and handed Castiel his coat.

"The demons will expect us to find a motel someplace to sleep tonight," Castiel said.

"So we should find a place outdoors to stay?" Katie asked.

"We're going camping?" Dean asked, distaste in his tone.

"I meant, just not an established place. Sleeping in the car is not foreign to you," Castiel explained.

"We've done it before." Katie shrugged. "It's just cold out now."

"It wouldn't be as bad as the ocean," Dean said truthfully.

"Okay, sleeping in the car somewhere is what we will do," Katie said. "We should go somewhere secluded just in case the demons come. I don't want innocent people getting hurt."

Dean drove the car West in irregular patterns at random, not going anywhere specific. When he saw the first sign for Nazareth, Pennsylvania he glanced in the back seat at Katie. She was staring aimlessly out the window, not in the direction of the sign. He got off at the next exit and headed South.

They passed a large billboard advertising an interactive nativity scene. Katie saw it and laughed out loud over the volume of Metallica. "We need to stop there!" She gave Dean the directions that were posted.

"It's just a tourist trap," Dean said. But he knew better than to convince her not to want to visit. She loved the cheesy tourist traps and made Dean stop and many along their travels.

"Duh! But I want to see if I look like Mary," Katie said. Castiel looked confused.

Dean pulled into the almost empty gravel parking lot. Katie hopped out excitedly and stretched her limbs. Castiel, who had been quieter than usual since Connecticut, watched her. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand. They paid and entered the small piece of land that was surrounded by haystacks. Inside there were wooden cut outs of the nativity scene with all the faces cut out so that tourists can put their faces in the holes.

"I am not positive, but I believe that this is blasphemous," Castiel said, looking around.

Dean laughed. "Alright, Mr. Loophole."

Katie said "Oh, this is just too good" and ran over to the Mary cut out. She put her face where Mary's had been cut out.

Even Castiel cracked a smile at this. Katie was crying she was laughing so hard. She sat on the hay and gravel covered ground to laugh. Dean was laughing mostly at Katie's obnoxious belly laughs and he went to help her up off the ground.

After they finished goofing off at the nativity scene, they stopped at a diner. Katie picked up a newspaper from the waitress' stand. When she saw the title, she slammed the paper on their table, cutting off Castiel and Dean's conversation.

"What the fuck, Dean?" She exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes.

Dean realized what she was talking about and looked down at his food.

"We're just outside Bethlehem. We're _so close_ to Nazareth. We're so close to my family!" she said, hot tears of anger streamed down her cheeks.

"You can't see your family," Dean said solemnly.

"But you can call Lisa anytime you want?" Katie said what she had wanted to say for a long time.

"That's different!" Dean defended.

"How?" Katie demanded.

Dean couldn't think of a response.

"Please, can we just drive by? I need to see them," Katie begged quietly, leaning across the table towards Dean.

Dean looked to Castiel.

"Driving by and not interacting with them may not be dangerous. As long as there is no contact between Katie and her family," Castiel replied.

"Damn, if I knew that sleeping with you would guarantee that you'd take my side, I'd have slept with you a long time ago," Dean said sarcastically and leaned back in his seat.

"There is no loophole for that," Castiel said thoughtfully and shook his head.

Katie smiled as she wiped her tears away with her napkin. She turned Castiel's face to hers and kissed him. "Thanks, Cas."

An hour later they were parked outside Katie's family home. She was peering through binoculars at the windows of the house. She saw her mom putting away dishes in the kitchen. She was talking to Katie's younger brother, who was sitting at the kitchen counter working on some homework. Katie's dad pulled into the driveway, only sending a glance at the parked Impala where Katie, Dean, and Castiel ducked to avoid being seen. He shut his car door and walked to the end of the driveway for the mail before heading into the house. Nothing even suggested that something was wrong. Katie longed to run in the doors and hug her family, for everything to go back to normal.

Without realizing it, her fingers had inched their way to the door handle and tears were streaming down her face. She gripped the handle in her fingers tightly and Castiel gently pulled her hands away from the door. She was startled by this and turned to him. He looked sadly at her, but empathy is what she saw most. He knew first hand what it was like to not be able to go home. She turned and cried into his chest and Dean hung his head in the front seat. He had known that this was a bad idea.

"I'm sorry, Katie," Dean said. He started up the engine of the Impala. "But at least you know that they are safe."

"There are Enochian sigils and protection seals all over the house. That house and their lives are very well protected. I also assigned Guardians to each of them. Harm will not come to them," Castiel informed Katie.

"Thank you," she whispered. She was silent for a few moments. "There are a few nature preserves a few miles from here that we can stop at for the night."

The sun was setting and Katie and Dean were tired after not having slept for over a day. She gave Dean directions to a large park that allowed camping. They parked the car, cranked the heat while Katie and Dean layered on clothes, before turning off the engine and heater, reclining their seats, and falling asleep. Katie curled up against Castiel and took advantage of his body heat before the night became too cold for her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh please, you know it couldn't have been all pretty and perfect! When Katie and Cas actually have sex, you know it's not going to be shimmery and pink. :P It's going to be awkward and funny but still hot, don't worry.
> 
> Chapter 9 should be coming soon, I literally have no homework this week. What the shit.
> 
> When I write "Samonica" I literally picture and hear Jared playing a really mean gay man.
> 
> Alsoooo, I want to read other Cas/OFC stories. Know of any? I've had a hard time searching for them. Objections will not be made to really, really well written and explained Dean/Cas stories. Recommend me good stuff, babe. :)
> 
> XOXO to everyone who has read, reviewed, etc!!!


	9. Make Love Not War

Dean and Katie were asleep in their seats of the Impala while Castiel waited for them to wake up. He thought about getting out of the car and going for a walk around the nature site or something, the car made him feel confined and trapped. But Katie was laying on him and opening the door would let the little bit of heat trapped inside the car escape. He shifted slightly and Katie snuggled closer, defeating the purpose of him moving in the first place. He rolled his eyes and resigned to sitting still.

Just as the sun's morning rays fell through the trees around him, the wind picked up. He sensed power and looked around the car. Autumn leaves, paper, and trash swirled around the car like a tornado had touched down right where they were parked. Dean and Katie remained asleep despite the noise. Castiel looked around wildly before shoving the car door open and gently letting Katie rest on the seat. He shut the door and looked for Diana.

The wind settled to a breeze and he saw her illuminated by a yellowy light of her own just at the edge of the woods. She was smiling at him serenely and the ring of leaves placed in her long hair twinkled in the light.

"Dear Castiel," she said in a quiet voice that magically carried to where he was standing.

"Diana," he replied with a nod.

"They are coming, Castiel. You must take Katherine into the woods and she must conceive her child now. Dear Castiel, we are here to help you," Diana said, her voice powerful, calm, and musical all at once. As she said 'we,' Castiel noticed the other goddesses standing at the edge of the trees along the path. Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, and Inanna were all there to aid them and Castiel realized the magnitude of him and Katie.

"We are here to fight off the coming demons," Diana said. "You must go now!"

Katie woke up behind him and Castiel blinked. The goddesses were no longer visible but he felt their Good, powerful presence. He turned to Katie, grabbed her hand, and gently pulled her from the car.

"What's going on, Cas?" Katie asked sleepily. "Are there demons?"

Castiel looked to where Diana had been standing and then looked pointedly at the still sleeping Dean and then back to where Diana was. She appeared again, nodded to Castiel, and then moved to Dean.

"Cas?" Katie asked again, a worry in her voice. She was looking at his face and not back at the car where Diana was allowing Dean to wake up from her place amongst the trees.

Castiel pulled her by the hand into the woods, not saying a word. They tripped and stumbled over fallen branches and tree roots into the woods. There was a small clearing ahead, Castiel knew instinctively. A goddess must be leading him, he realized. They came to a small grassy area that led up to a hill. There was an old house at the top that served as a museum and was closed this early in the morning. Castiel stopped just inside the clearing and shrugged off his jacket and placed it like a blanket on the ground.

"Cas, what are you-" Katie started to say but Castiel turned to her and cut her off with a kiss.

She pulled away from him and looked at him searchingly. "Now? Here?"

"Yes," he said throatily.

She smiled brightly at him and kissed him hard. She was wearing many layers of clothes to ward off the chill of a late October night in a car, so they had to remove multiple pieces of clothing. Katie and Castiel were laughing, really laughing, as they both pulled off her clothes. Her arms got stuck in her sweater as she tried to pull it over her head while lifting her hips for Castiel to slide her jeans over her legs. When she was finally in the pale pink panties and bra she had bought the day before she lunged for the buttons on his white shirt and pressed her lips to his. Her fingers were shaking as she tried to unbutton them, but in the end she mumbled "Fuck it" against his lips and tore the shirt open. He pulled his already loosened tie over his head as Katie pulled his belt out of his pants as quickly as she could. His pants and their shoes were kicked off ungracefully, landing about three feet away from them. They tumbled to the ground, Castiel over Katie, her shoulder blades being pricked by grass as only half of their bodies were on the coat. He propped himself up with a bent arm in the grass next to her head and kissed her. She reached down and pushed his boxer briefs down over his hips and he pushed them down the rest of the way with his other hand. Katie was running her fingers through his hair and kissing him thoroughly as he softly slid his hands over her thighs and stomach before sliding her panties down over her hips. They worked clumsily together to get her panties completely off without breaking their kiss. Her bra was practically ripped off of her because angels weren't trained in bra clasps. But she didn't mind.

When their kiss broke, Katie looked down the length of their bodies. They were both pale beneath the bright morning sunlight, though she was paler. Castiel was in good shape, Katie noticed. It wasn't like she ever saw him in anything besides his normal trench coat and suit to judge his body. She blushed when she realized it probably looked like she was staring at his penis like she'd never seen one before. She looked back up at him and saw that he was staring down at her body too, so she didn't feel guilty anymore. Katie slid her hands down his smooth back and then gripped his hips.

"Cas," she whispered, drawing his attention back up to her face.

He looked at her, his eyes completely dilated despite the bright sun, and he pushed her hair away from her face. "Katie," he replied.

She smiled. "I'm ready, are you?"

"My body is quite ready."

"Um, I see that. But I meant are _you_ ready?" Katie giggled.

"Oh. Yes, I am ready," he said and smiled softly.

His face took on an expression of concentration as he moved his hips to meet hers. She bit her lip, waiting for the pain she knew was coming. She felt him press against her and she angled her hips. Then the pain came and she tried to bite back her gasp and ended up choking. She coughed and Castiel stopped moving.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice strained and breathless.

She closed her watering eyes, coughed once more, steadied herself, and nodded. She opened her eyes as he continued pressing further into her and just in time to see his eyes roll up before he closed them. He rested his forehead against hers and let out a deep, guttural moan. She bit through the skin on her lip as she tried to suppress a cry of pain. One hand gripped his shoulder so tight she was sure she'd leave marks and the other was dug into the grass and pulling out a handful of blades.

"_Owowowowowowowowowow OW_!" Katie couldn't contain one last outburst of pain.

Castiel stopped pushing into her and remained gasping against her neck. "Are you sure you are alright? Are we doing this wrong? Because you are in pain," he said breathlessly, looking at her.

"No, we're doing it right. I'm okay, Cas. Are you?" Katie asked, wiping away the tears that had streamed down to her temples and into her hair. She was adjusting to feeling the tightness and fullness of him and was grateful that he wasn't moving.

"This makes me very happy," he said with a bright smile.

Katie laughed and rolled her hips. His expression went from smiling to eyes wide with pleasure and his mouth open with a loud moan. She moved his hips with her hands to show him what to do. Now she began to feel the pleasure that he was feeling and her own voice mingled with his.

They started off slow and languid, showering each other's face and shoulders with kisses, and picked up speed and urgency and became clumsy but effective. Castiel was loudly taking the Lord's name in vain as Katie nibbled on the spot below his jaw when she suddenly threw her head back and let out a cry of desire and ran her nails down Castiel's back as she reached orgasm. She flipped them over so that she was above him and took on a faster pace. She watched his face as he reached his own climax. His mouth was open in a deep groan and his eyes rolled back in his head. There was a roll of thunder despite the sunshine. His hands were holding her waist, helping her move. He was gasping when Katie slowed her pace and kissed him slowly.

Katie laughed when he opened his eyes and looked at her with a lazy smile. She lied down next to him, their legs entwined. She kissed his shoulder and he kissed her head. They held hands as they caught their breath.

"Are we allowed to do this again or was it a one time thing?" Katie asked him.

"I don't know. But I hope to do this many more times in the future," Castiel replied.

"Me, too," Katie agreed.

"Are you pregnant?" He asked her seriously.

"I don't know. It's kind of too soon to tell," she giggled.

"But, um, do your orgasms cause thunder or was God angry with us?" Katie asked him.

"It may have been me. I felt power build up and release besides the physical pleasure," Castiel replied thoughtfully.

Katie stared up at the bare tops of the trees and she realized how cold she was now that she wasn't moving around. She shivered.

"We should go back to Dean," Castiel said.

Katie groaned.

"I agree. I do not want to either. But we must," Castiel replied. He knew that Dean and the goddesses were fighting off demons.

They stood up and dressed quickly and then ran back to the Impala hand in hand. Dean was fighting off three demons with Ruby's knife when they came out of the woods. The goddesses were not visible, but Castiel knew they were there, fighting back demons that were not near Dean yet. Castiel ran to help Dean.

"Stay back, Katie!" Castiel yelled to her.

But demons were closing in from all sides. Katie ran to the Impala's trunk and found the unloaded Colt. Dean hadn't had enough time to find the gun and load it before the demons came. Had there been someone else here like Castiel or Katie, it would not have been an issue. Katie felt guilty that she was having sex while Dean was fighting for their lives. She side kicked and roundhouse kicked two demons out of the way and loaded it quickly. She cocked the gun and aimed it at a demon coming up behind Dean and shot it in the head. It fell to the ground. She shot one coming straight at her. Castiel and Dean glanced over to see her shooting the Colt, a vicious and determined look on her face. Target practice with Dean and Bobby and arcade games from childhood paid off. Katie calmed her adrenaline rush and listened. She heard someone coming behind her and she spun around. It was a demon, and she shot it a second before it would have grabbed her. She shot and reloaded the Colt a few times before Dean and Castiel were retreating to the Impala.

"Get in the car!" Dean yelled as he ran around to the driver's side and got in. Katie shut the trunk of the Impala and jumped in the back seat as Castiel got in the passenger's side. Dean started the engine and floored it out of the nature reserve and down the street. They hit multiple demons with the car and ran over a few, the car rocking as they did so. Katie hid on the floor of the backseat, Colt in hand until the noise had stopped.

No one spoke until they were on the highway and safely away from the demons. Katie could see Dean's furrowed brow and glaring eyes in the rearview mirror. She still felt guilty about being away when the fight started and she wanted to make him smile.

"When Cas orgasms he makes thunder," Katie said in a casual voice. Castiel looked at her strangely from his seat.

Katie watched in the mirror as Dean's eyes went from agitated and angry to disturbed instead of amused. "I thought I heard thunder," he grumbled.

"You did," Katie said with a nod.

"So I take it you two did it?" Dean asked, his reflection now concerned.

"Yup," Katie replied.

"It went very well," Castiel said. "I enjoyed it very much."

"You don't need to tell me," Dean said, sounding tortured.

"Are you jealous?" Castiel asked, trying to gauge Dean's reaction.

Dean laughed. "No, just weirded out that you're telling me this."

"Oh," Castiel said and sat back in his seat, thinking.

Dean's reflection was amused now. Katie smiled.

"Why were there so many demons?" Dean asked later while they were stopped at a rest stop to get gas and use the bathroom.

"They must have known," Castiel replied.

"Known what? That-" Dean started.

"That I choose you, Pikachu!" Katie exclaimed and pointed at Castiel. Dean and Castiel were silent as they stared at her. Katie sighed and got back into the Impala.

"They must have known that Katie had chosen me," Castiel said to Dean as Dean finished filling up the car.

"It makes sense, I guess." Dean shrugged.

"Where do we go now?" Katie asked with her head out the window.

"Somewhere safe and secure," Castiel said. "The baby needs to grow in Katie and be born safely."

"Do you have anywhere in mind?" Dean asked him as they stood outside the car.

"Now that Katie has chosen Good, the angels will no longer be after her. I could assign her many angels as protection from the demons," Castiel said. Katie got out of the car, curious to hear what he was saying and anxious to be a part of the decision.

"Would you be part of that protection?" Katie asked as she reached a hand up to tangle in his hair. He leaned against her nails like a cat.

"I would be sure of it," he replied, his voice determined.

"Dean, would you come along?" Katie asked. "I'm sure we'll need more than angels in my posse."

Dean smiled thoughtfully. Katie knew he was thinking of going back to Lisa and Ben, but he didn't know how to make it work. His smile faltered. "I don't know…"

"I _want_ you to be there, Dean. There's no way that I would trust just angels to take care of me and my baby," Katie said, stepping towards Dean.

"So follow you around like your body guard?" Dean asked with an eyebrow raised.

"No, be in my life and my baby's life. You're… like my big brother now. And I know you feel the need to take care of someone all the time. So why not come help me raise my baby?" Katie proposed. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized how much she wanted to continue life with the two guys that saved her life and then kidnapped her.

"You have Cas to help you," Dean said, looking away.

"Can you see Cas changing diapers?" Katie smiled.

"Can you see _me_ changing diapers?" Dean looked at her now, amusement on his face.

"I figured a tag team approach would be best," Katie said.

Dean thought about his options for a few moments. Then he looked at Katie and Castiel and smiled. "Alright, I'll stay with you two."

Katie let out a squeal of excitement and hugged Dean fiercely. Castiel nodded at Dean in approval.

"After we kill Veronica, of course," Dean said with a bitterness to his voice.

"Of course," Katie said, pulling away.

"The sooner we kill her, the better," Castiel said.

"We should probably update Bobby," Dean realized. "He doesn't know that Veronica is using Sam's body."

"She's such a hoe!" Katie said as they got back into the car.

"Katie, speak in a human language! I never understand what you are saying!" Castiel exclaimed exasperatedly.

"You had no trouble understanding me this morning," Katie said in a sly voice.

"Alright, that's enough!" Dean cut them off. "I'm not staying with you guys if you're going to talk like that. _Especially_ in my car!"


	10. Tickle Me Castiel or Angels Have Perfect Aim

She was bouncing up and down and wiggling in her seat while making a frustrated groaning sound. Dean and Castiel made annoyed faces in the front seat. "Drive faster! Drive faster!" Katie urged in a panicked voice.

"I'm already doing eighty, Katie," Dean huffed.

"That rhymed," Castiel pointed out, trying to break some of the tension.

"Thank, you Shakespeare," Dean said, casting Castiel a sidelong look of aggravation. He looked in the rearview mirror at the fidgeting Katie. "Why can't you just go on the side of the road?"

"Because it's fucking freezing and dark out!" Katie snapped. Snow flakes were beginning to fall, fat and feathery onto the Impala. Though it was just after Thanksgiving (which was spent hunting a Wendigo and eating turkey sandwiches), it was a dark and bitterly cold evening in Maine. "I'm not going to go pee out in the woods in this kind of weather."

Then she realized that there was an excuse that _always_ worked. "It would hurt the baby if I got sick." Bringing up the baby was like her golden ticket to getting anything she wanted. Some of it she even made up because Dean and Castiel were clueless. Katie wasn't a demanding princess, but she used this new found power to get things like the choice of restaurant, choice of hotel, the first shower, and ice cream. She was only about two weeks pregnant and didn't have any pregnancy cravings, but she still thoroughly enjoyed Ben&amp; Jerry's Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch. And if Castiel was willing to fly off to get it for her then so be it.

Dean sped up to eighty five miles per hour. Katie suppressed a grin in the back seat as she continued to wiggle around. The next exit had a gas station and Katie and Dean sprinted in. Castiel stayed at the Impala and filled the gas tank precisely the way Dean had taught him a week ago. Katie did a little dance, known as The Pee Dance, as Dean asked the unaffected attendant for the restroom key. The attendant took his grand old time reaching for the key and Katie swore at him as she danced around the magazine stand. Dean tossed her a pregnancy test from off the shelf as an afterthought as she ran out the door. While they were pretty damn sure Katie was pregnant ("Angels do not miss," Castiel had said and was met with disturbed responses from both Dean _and_ Katie), she had not done an official test. She caught the box and exited the gas station to run around to the side of the building where the restrooms were. Dean followed her out and met with Castiel just as the door slammed shut behind Katie.

"I made it!" came Katie's muffled voice from the bathroom door.

Dean closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them to look at Castiel. "She brought a pregnancy test in there with her," Dean said.

"But she is pregnant. I can tell," Castiel said. "There is another soul forming in her womb."

"I don't know, she had a big lunch. It might just be a food baby," Dean said. It was a joke, but Castiel tilted his head in confusion at Dean. "It's confirmation, Cas."

Katie came out holding the pregnancy test. They went into the gas station for warmth and to pay for the gas and test. The attendant watched them boredly but they paid him no mind.

"What does it say?" Dean asked her.

"It's still thinking," Katie said, staring intently at the stick.

Castiel reached out to touch it and angel mojo it to go faster but Katie hit his hand away. "Cas! I peed on this!"

Castiel looked grossed out. "Why?"

"It measures my hormones. Besides, I don't want any angel magic to interfere with… the science magic," Katie explained.

Another minute passed and Katie gasped. The stick's read out clearly had a smiley face on the display. "I'm going to be a mommy!" she exclaimed. Pride and excitement intertwined with her voice. Her eyes shone beneath her glasses. She dropped the test on the ground to wrap her arms around both Dean and Castiel. The boys were smooshed together in her grasp and they both hugged her back somewhat awkwardly but no less happily. She squealed with excitement but it was thankfully muffled by where Castiel and Dean's sides met at their chests. They stood there embracing for a minute while Katie composed herself before she exploded with excitement and fear.

"So, which one of you is the father?" The gas station attendant asked.

They whirled around to face him. Katie had completely forgotten that he was there. "I don't know," she lied. "I slept with them both at the same time, so I couldn't even begin to guess."

Castiel started to express his confusion at Katie's lie when Dean elbowed him.

The attendant looked intrigued. "Need another daddy?" he asked looking at her with raised, bushy eyebrows.

Katie scoffed. "Believe me; I've got enough man that I can handle at once. Come on, boys, let's get a move on."

Dean paid for the gas and the pregnancy test and met Castiel and Katie out at the car. Katie was explaining to Castiel what happened in the gas station, why she lied, and why she was laughing so hard. He didn't quite get that she was being lewd to the nosy attendant, but Dean complimented her on her unladylike behavior as he got into the car.

"Let's go celebrate!" Katie exclaimed from the back seat.

"I'm up for any type of celebrating as long as it involves a good beer," Dean said as he maneuvered the Impala out of the gas station.

"You need to drink some fruit juice, Dean. You're going to get sick," Katie said disapprovingly.

"I am not," Dean said defensively.

"If you're going to be running around after the baby, then you're going to need to be healthy," Katie said sternly.

"Who said anything about me running around after _your_ baby?" Dean retorted.

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're getting up there in years-" Katie began.

"What?" Dean exclaimed, cutting her off.

Castiel actually huffed in laughter. Dean glared at him.

"Come on, Dean," Katie said exasperatedly.

"Get out of my car," Dean demanded as they rolled to a stop for a light.

"What? No," Katie said.

"Get out of my friggin' car, if you're gonna call me old," Dean demanded and unlocked the doors.

"Dean, I didn't mean-" Katie said, holding on to her seat belt. Her eyes were wide and apologetic as Dean turned in his seat to swat at her legs.

"Get out!" Dean demanded.

"YOU'RE NOT OLD!" Katie shouted. "YOU'RE HOT! I PROMISE!"

Dean narrowed his eyes at her as cars blared their horn behind them because the light turned green. He hit the gas and Katie settled into a sulk in the back seat with her arms crossed over her chest. Dean glanced over at Castiel. The corners of his mouth were lifted in a smile.

"Stop your grinning, Feathers," Dean snapped.

They were silent the entire ride to a nearby bar. It was a modern bar with plasma TVs plastered to the walls and popular music playing. The lights were dimmed and rotating colored lights pirouetted over the dance floor near the back. The thumping bass made their bodies hum and when they sat at the bar, they felt the beat vibrating in the seats. Katie ordered a Coke, Dean ordered a beer, and Castiel asked for a water to be polite (they were working on that). After they finished their drinks, Katie wanted to dance. Dean insisted that he Did Not Dance and Castiel looked terrified at the thought so Katie threaded her way through the crowd of people on the dance floor to the DJ. He gave her a strange look when she requested the song she couldn't get off of her mind. She flashed him a pleading look (the one that got Dean pretty much every time and that Castiel had said reminded him of Sam) and the DJ complied. Katie really couldn't dance. At all. But she had so much energy pent up from being in a car all day and from finding out for sure that she was pregnant. Biologically speaking, a woman does produce more endorphins when pregnant, so Katie was on happy overload.

The song she requested was "Revolution" by The Veronicas. It was one of her favorite songs and it had been in her head for awhile since she learned of her role in the universe and had started to accept it. There was something about this song that made Katie lose all inhibitions about dancing in front of people and when it began playing throughout the bar, Katie raised her arms up in the air and danced. While she was on beat in her dancing- she didn't play the flute for six years to walk away with absolutely no sense of rhythm- she was completely uncoordinated. With arms flailing as she jumped up and down and twirled around and sang the lyrics, she cleared out her section of the dance floor. People backed away laughing; some mocking, and some enjoying her lack of shyness in dancing like a crazy person.

"It's a shame she didn't dance like this before she switched bodies with the demon witch. We would have figured it out so much sooner," Dean said, as he and Castiel watched Katie dance.

"She… dances much different from the other humans," Castiel observed.

"She dances much differently than _most_ humans," Dean chuckled.

"I find that I am not aroused watching her dance this time," Castiel admitted still watching Katie.

Dean cleared his throat. "Don't tell her that."

"Should I tell her that her dancing does arouse me?" Castiel asked innocently.

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "That depends on if you plan on getting laid tonight."

Castiel looked like he was considering it. "I would not mind intercourse this evening."

"Okay, I'm gonna need another beer," Dean said to himself and flagged down the bartender.

When the song ended, Katie returned to the guys at the bar as another song boomed throughout the room. She was out of breath as she took her seat between Dean and Castiel. Castiel slid his glass of water over to her and she drank it quickly.

"You two should come dance with me!" she said, sliding off of her bar stool to return to the dance floor.

"Not a chance!" Dean said as Katie skipped back to the dance floor to continue her ridiculous dancing.

After Katie had finished dancing and Dean finished up his last drink, they headed out to find a place to stay for the night. They found a Radisson not far from the bar and decided that they'd rest there. Radissons normally had those really awesome mattresses that form to the person laying on it. At the front desk, the clerk asked "How many rooms?" and Dean was about to give the normal answer of "One" when Castiel interrupted and said "Two rooms, please."

Katie looked up at Castiel questioningly as the clerk typed away on a computer and charged Dean's fake credit card. Castiel leaned down to whisper to her, his breath tickling her ear. "Your dancing this evening was very arousing."

Katie practically choked on her spit in her amusement at Castiel's blatant lie. But, she appreciated his effort and wrapped an arm around his middle and grinned up at him. He seemed pleased that his lie didn't back fire and he hesitated only slightly before kissing her forehead.

Up in their room, Katie ordered dessert through room service. Dean's room was right next door and there was a door connecting the two rooms. When the dessert was delivered Dean knocked on the connecting door.

"Hey," he called. "I'm coming over to share that pie with you since it's on my credit card."

"No, I'm feeding it to Cas naked," Katie said back.

Castiel, fully clothed and confused, shook his head.

Dean didn't bother them again.

"I'm not very good at sharing," Katie said with a shrug to Castiel in her defense.

"So you ordered that large amount of disgusting food for yourself?" Castiel said rather than asked.

"Eating for two here, ya know," Katie said with a grin. "No, I got enough to share with you."

Katie uncovered the large slice of apple pie, chocolate covered cheesecake, and caramel swirled brownie. She inhaled slowly as their aromas circled around her. She let the breath out in a sigh that only a little bit sounded pornographic. Castiel licked his lips.

"That food looks disgusting," Castiel said. Though, his resolve seemed to be melting. Because, seriously? dessert was involved.

"You have to at least try it," Katie said and pulled Castiel towards her by his tie. She put some of the apple pie on a fork and fed it to Castiel who couldn't really resist when Katie had a hold of his tie and he couldn't go anywhere without using force or angel mojo.

He chewed the pie contemplatively. "It is not horrible."

Katie beamed and fed him the cheesecake. They sat cross legged across from each other in the middle of the big bed and ate desserts. They talked about nothing in particular and yet everything. Castiel talked about funny things that happened in his garrison that really weren't funny to anyone but him and other angels. But Katie laughed anyway, because it was Castiel, the father of her fate baby, and she loved him.

Once they had finished the desserts and Castiel declared the apple pie to be the best of the three and their plates were cleared off of the bed, Katie turned to Castiel. "You need new clothes," she said and looked over him.

"Why?" he asked and looked down at himself as if he never really paid attention to what he was wearing.

"Because, I want to see you in something else. I want to see more of you," Katie said as she climbed back onto the bed. She made sure that her cleavage was gratuitous in visibility. Her efforts were fruitless because Castiel didn't even look away from her face. She kneeled in front of where he still sat cross legged and pushed his trench coat over his shoulders. "Besides, this coat makes you look like a creepy pervert."

"It's Jimmy's coat," Castiel said hoarsely as he sat up to be able to remove his coat all the way.

"Well, Jimmy's not here anymore," Katie said and kissed Castiel's neck.

"Actually, he is," Castiel said.

Katie sat up too quickly and bumped her head against his jaw. "What?"

"Jimmy is conscious sometimes," Castiel said casually.

"Is- is he conscious _now_?" Katie asked, horrified.

"No," Castiel replied.

"Was he conscious…?" Katie couldn't finish.

"Yes," Castiel responded as if it were nothing.

"Oh my God," Katie gasped, feeling violated. She moved away from Castiel.

"He is not upset, Katie. He knows about your destiny and the part that I play," Castiel said, and tilted his head in confusion.

"Was he okay with it when we…?" Katie felt disgusting.

"Well, he surely wasn't _not_ alright with it," Castiel said, amusement light in his voice.

"What?" Katie asked, turning to Castiel.

"He finds you… endearing and attractive, I believe were his thoughts," Castiel said thoughtfully.

"But he's married! It's like I had an affair with a married man!" Katie exclaimed.

"No," Castiel snapped suddenly. "You chose _me_, not Jimmy. It was you and _me_ who made love at that park, not Jimmy."

Katie realized that there was probably some sort of strange relationship bond between Castiel and Jimmy that she didn't understand. A bond that allowed both of them to have their own thoughts and feelings and an understanding that what Castiel did with his body while he was inhabiting it was solely Castiel and not Jimmy. It was something that Katie probably would never begin to be able to understand so she calmed her heart beat.

"I'm sorry," Katie said and glanced up at Castiel through her eyelashes.

He visibly relaxed the muscles that were tensed in anger.

"Are you sure that he wont wake up?" Katie asked.

"Positive," Castiel replied.

Katie smiled and crawled back towards Castiel and kneeled in front of him again. She slid his suit jacket over his shoulders and he shrugged out of the sleeves. Then she reached down and removed his belt. While she was fumbling with the buckle, he grabbed at one of her braids and pulled out the elastic band at the end. He thought she looked better with her hair flowing, even if it was messy. He took out the other as Katie pulled his belt from the loops. When Castiel began to shake Katie's hair out of her braids she practically melted. She had put her hair in the braids while her hair was wet so now that it was dry, it felt so good to be loosened. Her scalp tingled as her hair fell over her shoulders and her eyes fluttered closed. She let out a soft moan.

He kissed her while her eyes were still closed. She grabbed his tie again and pulled him on top of her on the bed. They kissed like this for minutes. Their tongues dancing together and biting each other's lips to elicit little sounds of pleasure, before Katie pushed him over so that she was straddling his hips. She broke their kiss and sat up. She slowly unbuttoned his white shirt, leaving it closed save an inch of his chest showing between the halves of his shirt. On an impulse she didn't know she had, she slowly ran the tip of her tongue over the exposed skin. Castiel gasped when she started just below his navel and let out a staggered breath when she got to the sensitive skin between his ribs. She led up to his neck and moved his shirt aside to bite lightly at his collar bone. His hips strained under hers and she rolled her own to give him some pressure. He let out a small cry and gripped her hips. She grinned and went to the spot just below where his jaw meets his neck and nibbled lightly on it. Castiel apparently liked teeth.

"God! Jesus! Unffff-" was the result she got from him every single time she did that. He would quiet his blaspheming by biting his lip until she stopped. This time she didn't stop. He continued to moan deep in his throat as her hands traced lightly down his now exposed sides and when she reached just above where his pants rested on his sides he stopped biting his lip and let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. She stopped and then sat up to look at him. His eyes were wide and confused. Katie looked thoughtfully down at him before lightly tickling him where she had stopped her hands. This time his eyes lit up with panic as an unmistakable giggle escaped his lips and he hit her hands away. She grinned and fought against him to tickle his sides again.

"No, no, no!" he was gasping in between guffaws. She had never thought she'd ever hear him laugh, especially like this. Big, loud, belly laughs with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Suddenly he was gone and Katie landed on the bed with a bounce. She gave a squeak of surprise. She sat there for a second, regaining her breath because she had been laughing with him. Then there was a rustling sound like feathers and she didn't have enough time to turn around before Castiel was tackling her to the bed. She screamed and it ended in a laugh. He didn't do anything after tackling her to the bed; he simply let her turn over and then rested his head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair.

"You're ticklish," Katie said.

"No, I am not," Castiel tried to deny it.

Katie snorted in laughter. "Really, then what was that?"

"It was…" he started but had no response.

"That's what I thought," Katie giggled and kissed the top of his head.

Castiel turned his head and kissed between her breasts through her shirt. Then he lifted her black t- shirt over her head and kissed the same spot but now it was her skin. He mimicked Katie's actions and ran his tongue down to where her pants rested. But he undid the button and zipper before pulling them smoothly down over her hips and legs. She realized that he was almost fully clothed still and quickly pushed the open shirt over his smooth shoulders and he mojoed off his pants, shoes, and socks, in a blink.

The fewer clothes they wore the more eager they grew and seconds later they were kissing hard and touching anywhere they could. Their voices grew hurried as they laughed and moaned together until thunder rolled at least five times that night. Each time Castiel's power exploded from him it created a sonic boom up in the sky as it left the atmosphere. Katie was surprised it didn't blow the roof off the hotel. The angel had stamina.

 

The next morning was awkward because they met Dean for breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. Dean was tired.

"Some _storms_ kept me up half the night," he said pointedly to Castiel and Katie when she asked why he was so sleepy.

Katie suddenly became very interested in her napkin. And Castiel started to say that he didn't hear any storms last night but he stopped himself as he realized what Dean was referring to. His ears turned red. They were saved when the waitress came and asked what they wanted to drink. Dean and Katie ordered coffee and Castiel ordered the same to be polite.

"So where do you think we should go next?" Katie asked Dean as the waitress left their coffees in front of them.

"We need to get you somewhere safe, that's for sure," Dean said. "No more hunting for you."

"What? I have been doing fine!" Katie said and watched Castiel take a nervous sip of hot, black coffee. He wrinkled his nose which Katie found to be fucking adorable, and set his mug back down on the table. She grabbed two packets of sugar and dumped them into his mug and stirred. She tapped the mug to tell Castiel to try again. "I already know to stay back when things get hairy. I'm not stupid and you should know that by now, I've saved your ass enough times."

"Have not," Dean scoffed and also watched as Castiel took a second sip of coffee. Castiel wrinkled his nose in disgust again and set the mug back down.

"Fine, whatever, but I've been very valuable on our missions and it's not fair that you two get to have all the fun," Katie said. She opened the top of a creamer and poured it into Castiel's coffee, stirred it, and tapped it again. "Besides, if you two get hurt, who will help me raise the baby? So you're just as valuable in this as I am."

"False!" Dean exclaimed. "If we die, you get new body guards. If you die, then the world is extra screwed and has no chance of being right."

Castiel took a third experimental sip of coffee, wrinkled his nose again, set it down on the table and pushed it away from him. Katie gave up on giving him a caffeine addiction and fixed up her own coffee.

"I agree with Dean," Castiel said.

Katie glared.

"Looks like clear skies for the foreseeable future," Dean quipped.

Castiel sat in the back seat with Katie once they hit the road again. He held her hand and tried to get her to look at him. But hormones were beginning to run wild and she was still angry with him and Dean. After lunch, she had a mood swing and was back to cuddling up to Castiel in the backseat. They kissed quietly and lightly in the backseat and every time Dean glanced in the rearview mirror to check traffic, all he saw was Katie and Castiel making out.

"Seriously? Come on! Can't you wait until tonight?" he finally snapped.

Katie giggled and stopped kissing Castiel and rested her head on his shoulder and looked out the window and listened to the AC/DC playing on the radio. Dean hummed along and Katie found it to be incredibly calming and started to doze off against Castiel's shoulder. She was halfway between sleep and wakefulness when there was a clap of thunder. Castiel and Katie jumped apart and raised their hands up in the air as if held at gunshot at the same time Dean shouted "NOT IN MY CAR!"

Katie and Castiel looked at Dean with wide, innocent eyes with their hands up to show that there was no sexual touching going on. There was a moment of confusion just before a down pour of rain began around them. Katie smirked.

"Oh, it was normal thunder. Not Castiel's Epic Orgasm Thunder," Dean said. "Sorry."

But it wasn't an ordinary rainstorm. Castiel knew. It was the archangels' way of saying "hello, we've found you." He didn't say anything because now there was nothing to be done. He held Katie tight against his chest, kissed the top of her head, and said "I am sorry."

"For what?" Katie asked and looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

He looked incredibly sad. Like he was almost about to cry, but he didn't. He rested his head against Katie's just as a flash of white light from a jagged strike of lightening engulfed them. Dean swore in confusion and panic. She gripped Castiel's coat tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. Panic tore through her veins as Castiel's grip on her loosened and he was pulling away from her.

She was suddenly aware that she was on the ground. Everything was wet and gravely beneath her and she opened her eyes. Dean was next to her and was scrambling to get in front of her. She was able to see Castiel standing before some other people before Dean's jacket clad shoulders and back blocked her vision. They were on the road next to the Impala. The highway was empty and the sky was a dismal grey but no more rain fell. Katie and Dean quickly got to their feet, but Dean remained in front of Katie. She tried to step around him to see what was happening, but he reached an arm back to stop her.

"Castiel, you have once again gone against Father's orders," a man's voice said.

"Raphael, she has chosen Good," Castiel said, joy in his voice.

"Yes, and we can not be more relived. But you still pulled your little stunt," Raphael said, a bite of anger to his tone.

Katie peeked around Dean and he let her, knowing that the angels were not there for her. Raphael stood facing Castiel and their profiles were visible to Katie and Dean. Three other angels stood nearby.

"She needed to be able to choose her own Fate. I knew that the Good in her heart out weighed the Evil, I could see it. There was no doubt in my mind that she would choose Good," Castiel explained. His large hands were held out before him in a gesture that suggested he was telling the truth.

"Your orders were to bring her to Dean Winchester for protection from the demons and return to Heaven," Raphael said. "Our brothers were to be sent to bring her to a pious man."

"I was afraid that Dean would seduce her before our brothers could find her a suitable, pious man," Castiel said and dropped his hands to his sides.

"You are lying, Castiel," Raphael said sternly.

Castiel's head hung in shame.

"No!" Katie found her self shouting and stepping around Dean. "You can _not_ be angry at him. If he did not go against his orders, I would not be here right now. He has saved my life on countless occasions because just having Dean around wasn't enough. That demon, Veronica, is possessing Sam Winchester's body. Not only did this completely throw Dean off his game, but she is extremely powerful. She put Dean and me in the middle of the ocean. Just having Dean there wasn't enough because he's human. We needed an angel to save us. We almost died out there as it is. And if it weren't for Castiel, I wouldn't be pregnant with the next baby Jesus, now would I?" Katie ranted. About halfway through she realized that she was yelling at an archangel and every fiber of her being said to shut the fuck up, but she didn't. She felt Dean step up and grab her arm lightly. She glanced at Castiel who looked pleased for a second but his expression returned to neutral as Raphael looked towards him.

"While she may have a valid point, you _betrayed orders_. And that's why I am here," Raphael said.

"I can not leave them. You heard her," Castiel said, his voice trembling with rage.

"You can't take him away from me," Katie gasped. She tried to run to Castiel's side, but Dean held her arm tighter.

"This is not your choice, Katie. You will be assigned a new angel in the near future," Raphael said before turning back to Castiel.

"No!" Katie yelled again and finally yanked her arm away from Dean. She was running towards Castiel when the angels grabbed him and they disappeared. She skidded to a halt in the wet gravel and lost her balance, falling backwards onto the ground. She looked around frantically and the only person she saw was Dean. He was rushing towards her and saying something. But she was to busy screaming angrily to hear him. Her scream was part growl and part girlish shriek and probably could not be repeated. Her palms and tailbone stung from when she fell and she knew she was bleeding. Then suddenly there was the sound of traffic and a horn blaring. Dean and Katie made it to the other side of the road just as the heavy flow of traffic began again. The sky was clear now and the pavement began to dry. Dean tried to hold Katie still as she looked up into the sky and screamed at Raphael to bring Castiel back or she would kill him. Finally, Katie's screaming subsided into sobs and she allowed Dean to fold her in his arms and cried into his jacket. He was talking but she was deaf to his words. She felt the rumble of them in his chest but didn't register any words.

Eventually he helped her stand up and they got back into the Impala. Dean got out the first aid kit and used tweezers to get the gravel out of her cuts. She winced and hissed in pain as he pulled out each rock. He was trying to be gentle, gentler than he had ever been when doing this for Sam. After her hands were cleaned up and bandaged, he had her lie on her stomach across the back seat of the Impala so he could get the gravel out of her back. She cried into the seat and it rocked her back, making it more difficult for Dean to remove the pebbles. But he managed and bandaged her up before putting everything away and getting into the drivers seat.

"Katie, we'll get him back," he said to her as they merged back into traffic.

She didn't respond. She only continued to cry into the seat of the Impala.

Katie had stopped crying after a few hours and even smiled once at dinner. But that night in their hotel room, Dean heard Katie crying in her bed. He felt the loss of Castiel, too. He wanted to cry, too. Because Katie had been so very right: there was no way in Hell that Dean was enough protection for Katie and the baby. They needed Castiel. The weight of this was too much for Dean, who hadn't even wanted to take this job in the first place. That is until he saw how small and fragile Katie was and saw how she was a geek like Sam, younger than him like Sam, Good like Sam, naïve like Sam, trusting of him like Sam, and even fought with him like Sam. Katie was what Dean needed to fill the Sam shaped hole in his life even though Katie was practically half Sam's size.

Dean sighed and got out of his bed and slid in next to Katie. She turned to face him and sniffled.

"I miss him," Katie said in the smallest voice known to Dean.

"Me, too," Dean said and tucked Katie under his chin and wrapped an arm around her.

"We're going to crash and burn without him. Or freeze to death again," Katie said.

"Maybe. But we can't just give up," Dean said. "I've been in tougher situations and I always stuck it out no matter how much I wanted to give up."

Katie didn't say anything; she only snuggled into Dean and closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep and Dean soon followed.

She dreamt about Castiel. The dream started out good with Katie and Castiel in a dream like garden. There were huge flowers that shaded them from the sun and what light did reach them practically sparkled through the dew. Everything was relaxed, colorful, and perfect. They were lying entwined together on a big leaf. Their heads were almost touching as they looked up at the flowers.

"I miss you," Katie said.

"It hasn't even been a day since I was taken," Castiel said, confusion in his voice.

"Trivial matter," Katie said quietly.

"And I am not going to be gone forever," Castiel said, a sound of sadness at the base of his voice.

"How long?" Katie asked, looking at him. He didn't look back so she studied his profile.

"Until my punishment is over. I must go to trial," Castiel said. His eyelashes fluttered when he said this, like he was afraid that Katie would see the nervousness in his eyes.

"What would your punishment be?" Katie asked quietly.

"Well, it depends," Castiel replied. His voice was gravelly like he was scared out of his mind.

"Will you be in trouble for having sex with me?" Katie asked and closed her eyes, afraid of the answer.

Castiel didn't respond for a few minutes. A few tears seeped from under her eyelashes. "Perhaps," he said eventually.

"What happened to the loophole?" Katie asked with a sniffle.

"I was allowed to help you conceive your child without sin. But my mission was to bring you to Dean where a pious man would eventually be arranged for you. My mission was not to do it myself," Castiel said ruefully.

"Sorry," Katie said before a sob wracked her chest. She bit her lip and kept the sound contained. Her body shook as she struggled to suppress her sobs.

Castiel shook his head. "No, it's not your fault." He sighed and it sounded miserable. "I went against my orders and I deserve to be punished for it. Though, I hoped it would be later. After Veronica was destroyed."

Katie didn't say anything. All she could thing of was what angel prison would be like. What kind of punishments would they have? How long would Castiel have to stay there? Would he be able to come back to her after? Would she even still be alive? How damaged would he be?

And because she was thinking so much about it, her dream changed. In the blink of an eye, the garden shrunk away and was replaced with darkness. Everything was black darkness and all she heard was a horrible groaning. She turned to see Castiel, bare-chested, and fastened to a wooden cross. His stomach was against the wood and his arms were stretched over the arms of the cross, fastened with golden and glowing straps. He had large, beautiful, white wings stretching out from his shoulder blades and patches of feathers were missing. Katie was mesmerized by them and the faint pearl glow they exuded. Raphael was ripping the feathers out, one by one, with what looked like pliers, but Katie was too distracted by Castiel to see for sure. Every feather seemed to cause him pain and his forehead was resting against the cross. He winced and gasped as another feather was removed. Little spots of blood appeared after each feather was taken out.

"Cas!" Katie shouted. But he didn't seem to hear her and neither did Raphael. "No!"

And just as suddenly as everything went black, now everything was reddish. Her body was warm and cocooned and she opened her eyes. She blinked as the hotel room window came into as much focus as it could without her glasses. Dean was curled against her body behind her and she looked back to see him still sound asleep. She wondered briefly why he was in her bed but then remembered that they had held each other as they fell asleep and mutually missed their angel. Katie slid out from under Dean's arm and let it fall against the bed. Her pulse was still racing from her nightmare and she paced the room a few times. She needed to get out and be by herself. So she dressed and quietly left the motel. There was a Denny's a few blocks away so Katie followed her stomach there. She was seated and ordered a coffee before she remembered that she didn't have any money or Dean's fake credit cards. She felt her pocket for her rarely used cell phone and remembered it was in the backseat of the Impala, possibly under Dean's seat, she wasn't sure.

"Shit," she mumbled. She had never dined and dashed before, and she didn't want to start now. Her coffee was growing cold in front of her so she sipped it. She stayed at Denny's, drinking coffee, for an hour. Her waitress kept asking if she wanted to order any food, but Katie only ordered toast and nibbled on it. Guilt filled her stomach more than any food could.

If she hadn't chosen Castiel, he would still be there. If she had gone out to find a righteous man, Castiel would still be there. If she had turned her choice and her self over to the angels, Castiel would still be there. If she hadn't gone and fallen in love with that stupid blue eyed angel, he would still be there.

During her guilt session, a tall and slim form slid into the seat on the other side of her table. The sound of an expensive suit _swoosh_ing against the vinyl booth grabbed her attention. She slowly turned her head towards the newcomer, knowing it was not Dean who would for sure throw a hissy fit when he found her. It was Sam. Or rather Veronica.

"Hey there, Mary," she said smoothly. "I hear you've lost something… or two.


	11. Dean vs. Pregnancy (W)Hormones

“Hey there, Mary,” Veronica said smoothly. “I hear you’ve lost something… or two.”

Katie stiffened at Veronica’s mocking tone. “If you mean Cas and Dean, I know exactly where they are,” Katie ground out between her teeth. She glared hatefully at Veronica as her fingers twitched towards the knife in her waistband.

“Really?” Veronica almost laughed. “Tell me.”

“Not a chance,” Katie spat.

“Well alright. But I didn’t mean Dean and Castiel, I meant Castiel and your virginity,” Veronica said, all business now.

Katie didn’t say anything.

“And I hear that you’re pregnant, too. Congrats,” Veronica said and leaned back in the booth. She folded her arms across her chest and regarded Katie through mischievous fox eyes.

Katie remained silent.

“I suppose this means that I have to take drastic measures, now don’t I?” Veronica asked in false disappointment. She stood up and clicked her tongue. “What a shame.”

Veronica reached out to Katie to grab her shoulder. Katie realized that while it was all Veronica in there, she was still in Sam Winchester’s body. _A man_. A much taller and stronger man. Katie looked like a little girl. Katie opened her mouth and let out a high pitched shriek. “Somebody help! This man is trying to kidnap me!” She let tears roll down her cheeks and flashed everyone her best Scared Little Girl look.

Everyone in the Denny’s stopped and looked. The men and a few women jumped up to come to Katie’s aid. The employees came out from the kitchen and someone was calling the police.

“That was incredibly stupid of you,” Veronica said to Katie. She was still calm and she reached out and grabbed Katie’s shoulder despite the people yelling around them. Veronica lifted a hand and all of the people crumpled to the ground. Katie gasped as everyone lay motionless.

“What did you do?” Katie asked, horrified.

“I got them out of the way,” Veronica replied. “_You_ brought it on them. We could have just stepped outside and done this, but no. We had to make a scene.”

“What do you want? You’ve already lost! I chose Good,” Katie said and yanked her shoulder back from Veronica’s grip.

“Maybe. But my boss said that if he doesn’t win, then nobody wins,” Veronica said so casually they may have been talking about a basketball game.

“So you’re…” Katie began as even more horror set in.

“Going to kill you, yeah,” Veronica said with a nod.

Katie turned and ran to the door as she heard sirens in the distance. She panicked. There would be more lives lost because of her if they got there before Veronica was gone. She had just begun to push on the lever on the door when she flew backwards. The back of her head smacked against a table before she was yanked by thin air onto the table. She was on her back and she couldn’t move. Her head spun from the impact. Nausea crept through her body and made bile rise in her throat. “No, what are you doing?” Katie groaned as she looked at Veronica standing next to the table.

Veronica didn’t say anything as she cleanly rolled the sleeves of her suit up. Katie panicked and hyperventilated. She couldn’t move and it felt like there was a weight on her chest, holding her in place. She twitched her fingers and toes and could do no more. Veronica lifted Katie’s shirt over her stomach and placed a hand flat against her skin. Katie felt violated. Then there was the pain. Katie let out a horrible scream and more tears welled up in her eyes. She grinded her teeth down to quiet her screams as the sirens got closer and closer. She didn’t want to attract any more attention.

The pain from Veronica’s hand continued for minutes that felt like hours. Katie bit through her lip trying to stifle her screams. Veronica finally stopped whatever she was doing and stepped back with an annoyed huff. “What did you do to your baby?” she asked Katie.

Katie only shook her head as sobs choked their way out of her throat. She didn’t know what Veronica was talking about. She hadn’t done anything to her baby. All she had done so far was conceive it and feed it plenty of veggies and ice cream. And now… and now Katie didn’t know if the baby was even still alive. It would be an absolute miracle if it was okay.

“What did you do?!” Veronica screamed in her face.

Katie shook her head again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Katie growled.

Veronica grabbed Katie’s head and smashed it against the table. She added pain to the wound that was already there and Katie cried out. She saw black spots and the room spun.

“Tell me!” Veronica screamed again.

“I didn’t do anything!” Katie screamed back.

Veronica smashed Katie’s head again just as the sirens stopped. Katie was sure she was about to lose consciousness as the door opened. She couldn’t lift her head to see who it was but she listened hard.

“Hey there… brother,” Veronica said in a challenging voice.

There was the sound of movement and then fighting. Katie struggled to see what was going on. She knew Dean was there and her heart swelled. She was safe and Veronica couldn’t hurt her again! As long as Dean won the fight, that is.

Grunts and the sound of punches and kicks filled the room. No words were exchanged. This worried Katie more than anything because Dean almost always had some wise ass remark to make, even while fighting. Now he was silent save labored breathing and grunts of effort.

Katie closed her eyes and prayed for Castiel. She knew he wasn’t coming but she had to tell him what was happening. She wondered if he could even hear her now. _Cas, everything has gone wrong. Veronica found me and tried to do something to our baby. She said I did something to our baby but I don’t know what she means. Dean is fighting her right now and I don’t know if he can win, Cas. I don’t know anything. I wish you were here._

Then the fighting was done. Silence rang in Katie’s ears and she slowly opened her eyes. “D-Dean?” she whispered. She feared she wouldn’t hear him; that she would hear Veronica. She held her breath.

“I’m here,” came the reply. It was Dean. He sounded strange and she heard him spit onto the floor. “Can you move?”

Katie tried and was able to. She sat up slowly and felt at her stomach. “Where’s Veronica?”

“I don’t know, she just disappeared,” Dean said and moved towards Katie.

His face was bloody and swollen. Blood was dripping steadily from his broken nose and one eye was almost completely swollen shut. His bottom lip was split and just seeing all of the blood made Katie dizzy.

She blinked slowly and Dean held her chin as he looked at the back of her head. “She smashed your head pretty good. We should get you looked at,” Dean said around his swollen lip.

“You’re one to talk,” Katie said hoarsely. She turned her head to look at the table and saw a large amount of blood. She lifted a hand to gingerly touch the back of her head. Her hand came back bloody. She swallowed hard. “What happened to the police?”

“I told them I was an undercover agent and that I needed to go in first,” Dean said.

“What are we going to do about all of these people?” Katie asked, looking around at all of the dead people that Veronica had left.

“We run far and fast,” Dean said. He winced as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to help her walk against the dizziness. She leaned on him and gripped the back of his jacket.

“You need to get to a hospital, though,” Katie said.

“We will, don’t worry,” Dean said. “Just not in this town.”

“Where’s the Impala?” Katie asked just before they opened the door.

“Parking lot. Out and to the left. We’ll need to get there quick,” Dean said tensely.

Katie nodded once and they pushed open the doors. Police and emergency crews rushed forwards. They had obviously not expected to see them come out beaten and broken. Dean limped them quickly towards the Impala. Katie’s feet dragged as she tried to quicken her pace.

“No, I’ve got her. I’m bringing her to safety. He escaped out the back. I’ve got this,” Dean said in an authoritative tone to the people that were crowding them.

Katie was slouched in the passenger seat and Dean was pealing out of the parking lot at top speed when members of the police came rushing out of the Denny’s screaming about dead bodies. They were out of the state in an hour. They stopped to change their plates once and for Katie to puke before they were off again. Katie was drowsy with a concussion and Dean kept her awake by punching her leg with his broken knuckles. They both cried out in pain every time. Late that night they finally stopped at a hospital. What was visible of Dean’s face and wasn’t swollen or stained with blood was extremely pale. His driving had even suffered from it and he parked crooked outside the emergency room. They stumbled in and Katie puked again in front of the check-in desk.

The small town hospital was mostly empty and they were allowed to cut in front of a few people with the flu in the waiting room. Katie was taken first upon Dean’s demand. “She’s pregnant, take her first!” he had said which triggered the nurses into overdrive as they put her in a gown and called for a doctor. Katie got a couple rows of stitches and gripped Dean’s hand tightly as the doctor sewed her up. She had a moderate concussion and they checked for brain damage. Then they looked at her stomach and saw that a handprint was burned into her skin. It was blistered and raised and Katie almost puked again when she saw it. They did ultra sounds to see the baby. It was perfectly fine and seemed unharmed. The heart beat was strong and regular for a fetus of such  young age.

Dean bowed his head in relief and squeezed Katie’s hand. Katie fought back tears of joy and thanked the heavens. The doctor recommended seeing a specialist to be sure that the baby was in good health. Katie and Dean nodded and listened diligently before it was Dean’s turn. He was still pale and woozy but his spirit was raised some with the news that the baby was fine.

His lip was sewn up with stitches, and his head was checked for brain damage. Katie held his hand as the doctor set his nose. Dean had insisted that he didn’t need her to hold his hand; he was a man and could handle it. But the tightening of his grip and the sweat that formed in his palm as the doctor set his nose said otherwise.  Dean’s right hand was bandaged and they were sent on their way with a large supply of pain killers.

The hospital did ask about the nature of their injuries but they both gave the same answer. They said that Dean and Katie were engaged and her ex boyfriend came to them drunk and beat the crap out of them because he knew that she was pregnant. There was no need for police because they were already called. There was no need for a lawyer, etc., etc.

They drove another four hours and found another town with a really seedy motel. They checked in and ignored the suspicious glances from the guy at the front desk. It was passed three in the morning and they were beat to shit and checking into a motel that was paid for by the hour. Katie and Dean were both cleared to sleep by the doctors and they both collapsed on the one bed. No words were shared before they both passed out from exhaustion and effects from the pain killers.

When Katie woke up the next morning, Dean was already out of bed and braving the shower. She wrinkled her nose thinking about how dirty it probably was. But they were both covered in blood so a shower sounded like heaven. Speaking of heaven, she remembered that she should update Castiel who might be able to hear her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. _Cas, we’re ok. We’re beaten and broken, but we’re alive. Veronica got away but so did we. Our baby is fine. I’m not sure how but it is alive and well. It’s a miracle, Cas._

The water shut off and Dean came out wrapped in one of their towels. He didn’t dare use one that the motel provided. His face was less swollen and his nose was black and blue but the stitches on his lip were bleeding down his chin. He wiped the blood away agitatedly. Katie pulled the first aid kit out of one of their bags as he dressed. They had to be on the road soon, so there was no time for him to lounge around in his towel like usual. She found some antiseptic, gauze, and some neon colored band aids.

“Sit,” she said to Dean. He sat at the edge of the bed and she had to sit on his lap to properly apply the band aid and gauze. He watched her silently with his hands resting on her hips as she dabbed the antiseptic on with a cotton swap. He winced as the white cream settled into his skin and it burned a little. “Sorry,” she said when she noticed his twinge. She folded the gauze up. “Open,” she said. He opened his mouth and she carefully put the gauze between his lip and teeth. It looked like he had chewing tobacco in his mouth. Then she smiled as she put the neon yellow band aid over folded gauze on the outside of his lip. The sticky parts of the band aid stuck to the little bit of stubble on his chin. She changed the strips of adhesive that held his nose in place as lightly as possible. His eyes watered involuntarily as she applied the tiniest bit of pressure. “There, all better,” she said and wiped away the blood that had dripped from his lip.

“You gonna kiss it to make it all better?” he asked. There was a smile in his eyes and the corners of his mouth were turned up.

Katie rolled her eyes before kissing his swollen eye, the tip of his broken nose, and the stitches on his lip. Her lips barely brushed his skin, fearing that she would hurt him.

“Awh, I’m telling Cas when he gets back,” Dean teased.

“You will do no such thing,” Katie said with a grin.

They were silent, looking at each other, thinking about how Castiel might not be coming back. Katie lowered her eyes and Dean pulled her to him in a hug. Katie rested her chin on his shoulder and didn’t let any tears fall.

“I know you love Cas and miss him to death, but I’m still here,” Dean said. Katie knew that talking about this kind of stuff was not his scene so she didn’t press him for more. “And I’m going to do my best to keep you and your baby safe.”

“Thank you, Dean,” Katie said and kissed his neck chastely.

“Well aren’t you amorous today,” Dean chuckled.

“It’s the pregnancy hormones,” Katie said. It was true. She had been literally scouting out the men around her wherever she was looking for someone her biological instinct deemed fit to play the father role to her baby now that Castiel was gone. She didn’t understand it, but it was instinct for a mother to actively seek a protector in some way especially if she was pregnant. And Dean always came out fit. Katie found it humorous.

“The hormones make you horny?!” Dean laughed.

“Sort of,” Katie said with a sigh.

“Well, remember when I said that while Cas was away, I was here?” Dean asked.

“Yeah,” Katie replied slowly, not sure where this was going.

“I’m not here for you to use as a sexy substitute, okay?” Dean laughed.

“Of course,” Katie giggled and nestled closer to Dean on his lap and buried her face in his neck. She actually smelled him. He smelled like soap, water, and testosterone. She had never _smelled_ testosterone before but she knew _exactly_ what it was now. Dean practically reeked of it and Katie remained plastered to him, just smelling him, for a few minutes.

“What’re you doing?” Dean asked in a way that suggested that he may not want to know at all.

“Smelling you,” Katie said simply, her voice muffled by his neck.

“Um. Why?” Dean asked.

“You smell like man,” Katie said before she realized how insane that sounded.

“I think it’s time you went to take a cold shower,” he said and drummed his fingers nervously against her hips. “You still have blood in your hair.”

“You’re supposed to wash my hair, the doctor said so. Because of my stitches,” Katie reminded him. Her lips brushed against his neck when she spoke.

“Are you kissing my neck?!” Dean exclaimed as goosebumps rose on his skin.

“No,” Katie said. “But Cas used to lose it completely and almost make thunder instantly when I did this.” Katie’s lips found where Dean’s jaw and neck met and closed her teeth down lightly on the spot. She didn’t really have control over her actions. Later she would be embarrassed by this, but now all she wanted and could think about was Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean.

“What are you doing?” Dean gasped as a shiver ran through him.

Katie didn’t say anything. She licked the spot she had just bit and then blew lightly on it. More goosebumps formed on his skin and another shiver went through him. He stood up with Katie still clinging to him. She delighted in the fact that his strong hands, even the injured one, were holding her under her butt. She bit at him again as he opened the bathroom door and walked them towards the shower. Dean turned on the shower as Katie involuntarily ground her hips against his. He opened the curtain and climbed in. Her back was to the spray and when it hit her she was startled and gasped. The water was freezing cold. She let go of Dean and put her legs down from around his waist. When they were separated, Dean jumped out of the shower. She tried to follow.

“No! You stay in there for five minutes, and then you can come out. Perv!” Dean said and closed the curtain.

Katie shivered violently. “Will you still wash my hair? I don’t want to rip out my stitches.”

“Yeah, but after you cool your jets. Alright?” Dean called over the sound of the shower.

“Fine,” Katie said with a sigh. “There’s a McDonalds across the street, go get us something to eat. I want a Big Mac. I’m craving meat.”

“I’m just going to let that one slide. Too easy,” Dean said and shook his head. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t go seducing anyone in this motel, you hear?”

Katie huffed in annoyance as she adjusted the temperature of the water to something warmer. “I know, Dean.”

Dean left Katie alone in the bathroom and went to get them food. Katie remained in the shower, but she stripped off her clothes before washing her body with the soap Dean had left in the shower. She was careful to go around the burn on her stomach. The soap was something like Axe or Old Spice or something else manly that he bought ages ago in case they were in a motel without soap. The label had worn off but the liquid was red.

She was still incredibly turned on by pretty much everything and it took awhile to bring herself down. She was in the shower for twenty minutes and when she came out in the towel Dean had left she didn’t even see him sitting in the corner. She smelled the McDonalds but didn’t see him practically hiding in the corner. She pulled her clothes out of her duffle bag and began to dress. She dropped her towel on the bed and put on a pair of panties and a bra. When she looked up she noticed Dean staring at her incredulously. She screamed and covered her self with the shirt she was holding.

“That cold shower didn’t cool you off?!” Dean exclaimed.

“What? I didn’t see you there! You could have said something!” Katie replied.

“I was afraid you would pounce on me and get all grindy again!” Dean said and turned around so Katie could continue to dress.

“No, I’m all better now. I took care of it,” Katie said, not meaning all of the innuendo she let slip.

Dean cleared his throat. “Your Big Mac is on the table.”

“Thanks… hot stuff,” she just had to say. Like, there was no way around it. Any chance she got to turn Dean into a stuttering fool she was going to take it. His ears turned pink. “You can turn around now.”

They ate in silence and only spoke when they could hear people down the hall having sex. Dean tried his hardest to talk the entire time so as not to give Katie any ideas. After they ate, Katie had Dean wash her hair. He was not very good at it and kept getting it tangled around his fingers. Katie leaned against the outside of the tub and Dean kneeled next to her. She kept her eyes closed because if she opened her eyes all she saw were his armpit and the stained ceiling. When all of the blood was shampooed out of her hair and her stitches were cleaned, she tried to braid her hair, but it tugged her stitches so she left it around her shoulders.

He wouldn’t look at her for the rest of the day. Not even when they left the seedy motel and got back in the Impala. While Katie was embarrassed about what happened, she still thought it to be funny. Especially since she knew for a fact that he had gotten turned on by it. Men are biologically wired to be attracted to pregnant women, to want to protect them, to have children with them. So Katie didn’t take it personally even though Dean did and was clearly troubled by it. She couldn’t wait to tell Cas.

“When are we going to talk about what happened?” Katie asked when they stopped next at a hotel.

“What?” Dean asked; panic was clear in his voice and on his face.

“With Veronica,” Katie clarified.

Dean visibly relaxed as he toed off his boots. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s kind of huge,” Katie said as she took off her coat and threw it against the chair near the window.

“How did she find you?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know _how_ she did, but I was at Denny’s when she approached me,” Katie said.

“You shouldn’t have gone off without me,” Dean scolded.

“I know. But I’d had a nightmare and I just needed to be alone,” Katie said and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“A nightmare?” Dean asked.

“About Cas being tortured. Raphael was ripping feathers out of his wings one by one,” Katie said. Her lip trembled, remembering how real the dream felt. “I just needed some fresh air.”

Dean nodded to say he understood.

“So I went to Denny’s. I was there for awhile just drinking coffee because I had forgotten to grab money. I didn’t want to dine and dash so I was hatching a plan when Veronica showed up. She said that Lucifer wants me dead. Which we knew, but still. I told her that they had lost, that I had chosen Good. But she grabbed me. And I realized that to everyone else she looks like a man,” Katie said.

“So you pulled the I’m A Helpless Little Girl act, right?” Dean smirked.

“Yeah. I mean Sam is like twice my size and when Veronica grabbed me, to the rest of the world it looked like a large man was grabbing me. So I screamed and everyone jumped up to help. And- and Veronica killed them all with a wave of her hand.” Katie began to cry. “She said it was my fault and I brought it on them all.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Those people didn’t deserve to die but _she_ killed them. Not you, Katie,” Dean said sternly. He sat down on the edge of his bed, facing her.

Katie took an unsteady breath and rolled her eyes. “I know that in my head, but not in my heart.” She watched as Dean almost literally balked at the mention of her feelings. “It’s like I still feel responsible.”

“You’re not and I’m not telling you again,” Dean said. She looked at him questioningly to see if he was trying to get her to smile or if he was being serious. He quirked an eyebrow at her. She smiled through her tears and threw her duffle bag of clothes at him. He caught it easily.

They went about their business in making the room safe. They salted the doors and windows, set devils traps, partially set up an angel banishing sigil, and the rest of their protective wards. Then, they ordered room service and rented a Wii and some games. Katie beat Dean at Mario Kart about fifteen times out of seventeen when he finally relinquished his controller. Katie was victorious and gloated the rest of the evening.

Katie and Dean were in their beds when Katie thought of something. “Hey Dean, are you awake?”

“Mm,” he said in response from the bed closest to the door.

“Can this hotel room be our safe house for now?” Katie asked.

“What?” Dean asked, lifting his head off of his pillow and turning on the light between their beds.

“Can we make this the safest place for us to be? I’m sick of running around and I’m about to get really fat. I don’t want to run and be fat,” Katie said.

Dean was quiet for a few minutes. He flopped back down on his back. Katie looked over to see if he’d gone back to sleep and saw him blink a few times while looking up at the ceiling.

“It’s not like this hotel is busy. I got the impression we were two of five guests total,” Katie explained. “So, if anything were to happen, there aren’t many people around to witness it. And we’re on the second floor in a corner room. Nothing can get in the window, yet there’s only a small chance of injury if we jump out the window. The doorways are iron. I mean you said so yourself that they were rare and helpful. We have a kitchenette, room service, there’s a pizza place next door, and a bar across the street. I think we’re as safe as we can get for now. Until Cas comes back.”

“You don’t want to go after Veronica?” Dean asked.

“Not until Cas is back,” Katie said stubbornly.

Dean let it rest. He knew that if they waited awhile and Castiel didn’t come back then he would go after Veronica himself. He knew that Katie knew it, too, but they didn’t speak of it. Because, going after Veronica on his own would get him killed, for sure.

“This can be our safe place. Sure,” Dean said. “But couldn’t you have said this when we were at that bar last week when those two hot blondes were all over me?”

Katie stuck out her tongue at him. He grinned and turned off the light.

“Hey Dean,” Katie said into the darkness.

“Yeah?” Dean replied with a hint of annoyance.

“Sorry for practically raping you,” Katie said with the smile audible in her voice.

“Yeah,” Dean said and cleared his throat. “Don’t, uh, worry about it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was feeling some Katie/Dean in this chapter. My first draft had Dean totally into it. But then I was like "What the crap, this is so not part of the plan!" I don't even know, guys. They so aren't supposed to be romantic at all. It feels dirty (she says in the fandom that supports wincest...) . Whateverrr posting this anyways. :)
> 
> Hope everyone had great holidays or nonholidays this passed week! Love y'all!


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